Alcaraz reacts to the new surface at Indian Wells: "I don't understand"

The Media Day of Indian Wells 2025 kicked off with the presence of some of the best players on the circuit in the press room. Carlos Alcaraz, champion here in the last two editions, was among the first to comment on his mood and, of course, the much-discussed surface change of the event. Although he has not yet put on his gear and tested it firsthand, the Murcian admitted not understanding why the organization has decided to bet on this change after almost three decades. Below, we share his words from just a few minutes ago.

Just landed in California

“I arrived here late last night, haven't been able to train yet, so I'll start training later today. I'm excited to be playing here again, in the desert, I'm happy to be back. I've already had time to play golf, so that's been all my preparation so far”.

Aiming for the treble achieved by Federer and Djokovic

“I know this is something that only two players in history have accomplished, I believe. I'm ready to handle that pressure, although I'll try not to think about it. I'll try to enjoy it, as I've always done when I came to play this tournament, whether practicing or playing. Everything here is so easy for me, so I just focus on enjoying the event, it's a date I look forward to all year. But yes, it would be great to achieve that”.

Happy off the court = Happy on the court

“Tennis is my passion, it's my love, being here is the ground I always had as a child, so I just want to keep enjoying, living this dream. Over time, I've realized that when I enjoy being on the court, it's when I show my best tennis. That's all I think about, to go out and enjoy. Sometimes I lose focus and think more about the result, about needing to win that tournament or needing to perform well, that's when I forget the most important thing: showing my joy to the fans. For me, the most important thing is to enjoy playing, this is the right path, the one I always want to follow”.

Surface change

“The court is a bit faster, yes, it's something I didn't understand when I saw it. This tournament has been played on the same surface for 25 years, on the same court, but now it has changed. I don't know the reason, honestly. I'll have to train to see it, although I consider myself a player who adapts well to the conditions he's playing in. I think I play tennis very well, even if the courts are a bit faster, but I admit I didn't understand it when I read about it”.

Continuing to work on his new serve

“I'm still at it, still practicing, still improving. I feel good with the change, it's been a great improvement in the serve. I need to keep believing in the new service mechanics, as well as my second serve, which is very good and solid right now. The first serve could be better, honestly. Every day matters in this process, although many times you don't feel as you want, so you have to distance yourself a bit. If the service isn't working at all, for example, then you can play good tennis from the baseline and forget about it. Right now, I feel great, I'm happy, I guess I'm close to being a serve-bot”.

Best of Indian Wells: the golf courses

“For me, it's very important to have different things to do beyond tennis, they help me switch off a bit from tennis. The pressure is always there, so sports like golf help me forget about that pressure and the tournament of that week. It helps me feel great and good off the court, which is essential to then show my best tennis on the court. That's why this tournament is one of my favorites, because I can play a lot of golf (laughs). Here, I'm also fortunate to bring all my team, my family... I'm very lucky to be with all my people at the tournaments, that helps me a lot to feel like I'm at home”.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz reacciona a la nueva superficie de Indian Wells: “No lo entiendo”