Alcaraz: "If they hadn't told me, I would think it's still the same track"

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Quiet press conference by Carlos Alcaraz at the Indian Wells 2025 Masters 1000 after advancing to the round of 16 comfortably defeating Denis Shapovalov. A match that was quite intimidating, but the Spanish player managed to control from the beginning, conceding only six games to achieve victory. While still waiting to find out who his next opponent will be, the World No.3 closed the debate on the surface change in California and thanked his new group of fans in the stands, who attended the match dressed as bees in homage to the incident experienced here last year.

Victory over Shapovalov

"From the start of the match, I knew I had to be very focused, I had to begin the match very strong, knowing it was going to be a tough battle, so I am happy to have been able to do it. Denis is a great player, we all know that, he has been playing very well recently. He started the season very strong, showing really powerful shots, so I am content with my performance today and everything I did. Overall, I am very satisfied, there are a few things to improve, I am very happy."

Happy with the surface

"I remember talking about it at the beginning of the week, but now that I have practiced a few times and played a couple of matches… I can say that the court is more or less the same. It's a very similar court to the previous one, very slow and with a lot of bounce. It is true that it is completely different when you play at night or during the day, but this morning, for example, I was training and the ball was bouncing a lot. I haven't felt any difference, which is good for me. They said they were going to change the court, but if they hadn't told me, I would think it's still the same."

Increase in racket weight

"I don't think I was one of the players who played with less weight on the racket. I played with a weight that was too low, so I thought about trying a change and seeing how it went. Now I'm managing it, there were moments in the match where I thought that with some shots I was able to do more damage, when I was running or with some specific strokes. I feel good playing with those extra five grams, I feel the ball, although it flies a little stronger here. The feeling is hitting the ball and feeling that it becomes stronger, it's difficult for the opponent to control. I have started playing this way and I consider it a great change for me."

Funny moment with the 'bees' in the stands

"It's something funny, it helped me a lot throughout the first set, I was looking at them and laughing. I always say that when I laugh, it's when I have the most fun on the court and show my best tennis. Probably, thanks to them, I have also been able to showcase this level of tennis. I didn't realize until the second game, when the camera put them on screen, so it was funny. In the end, I took a selfie with them, I think they deserve it."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz: “Si no me lo hubieran dicho, pensaría que sigue siendo la misma pista”