Alcaraz tops record of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic… at Indian Wells
Carlos Alcaraz had every reason to laugh under the California sun on Monday night – and not just because a group of fans showed up in full bee costumes. The Spanish star breezed past Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4 in 83 minutes to reach the Indian Wells fourth round, but hidden in that win was a record that puts him ahead of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Shapovalov dispatched by Alcaraz
Facing Shapovalov wasn’t supposed to be easy. The Canadian had beaten three top-10 players already this year – more than anyone else on tour. But Alcaraz made it look routine, hitting heavy shots and controlling the match from the start. “I knew I had to be focused from the first point and show him it was going to be tough,” Alcaraz said afterward.
Still, it was the bee-clad fans who seemed to give Alcaraz an extra spark. “They helped me a lot. I was laughing during the first set. When I enjoy myself, I play good tennis,” he said. Afterward, he even stopped for a selfie with them.
But behind the fun, Alcaraz is quietly dominating Indian Wells. He’s now won 14 straight matches there, and 28 of his last 30 sets. Only Jannik Sinner and Matteo Arnaldi – both last year – have taken sets off him in that stretch. Against Shapovalov, Alcaraz cut his unforced errors in half in the second set, pushed his first serve percentage to 79%, and sealed the win.
Alcaraz goes 18-2 from first 20 at Indian Wells
And here’s the stat that sets him apart: Alcaraz has now won 18 of his first 20 matches at Indian Wells, a better start than Federer, Nadal (17-3), and Djokovic (16-4). Only Jimmy Connors (19-1) and Roscoe Tanner (18-2) have done as well or better – making Alcaraz just the third man in history to hit that mark.
Up next is Grigor Dimitrov, one of the few players with a one-handed backhand to beat Alcaraz – though the Spaniard owns a dominant 29-3 record against one-handers.
As for adding a third straight title at Indian Wells, something only Federer and Djokovic have done? Alcaraz isn’t getting ahead of himself. “I’m working on a few things, like my serve. Hopefully I keep improving,” he said.
Still, he’s stung the field before – and he’s ready to do it again.