Carlos Alcaraz is through to the Indian Wells quarter-final (Image: Getty)
is tearing up the draw in Indian Wells. The two-time defending champion is now on a 15-match streak in the Californian desert, dropping just two games in his latest win against Grigor Dimitrov. Alcaraz thrives at the first Masters tournament of the season and has compared Indian Wells to playing at home.
He’s not the only Spaniard who loves the tournament. had a soft spot for Indian Wells and used to spend his days off doing one thing. Alcaraz has now revealed that he copies Nadal’s old habits “almost every day”.
Alcaraz is looking to become just the third male player in history to win Indian Wells three years in a row after and . The world No. 3 inched closer to completing a hat trick when he routined Dimitrov 6-1 6-1 on Wednesday night.
The 21-year-old shared his love for Indian Wells after booking his spot in the quarter-final. “IW feels like home,” Alcaraz wrote on .
Alcaraz has not lost a match at the tournament since 2022, when he lost a thrilling semi-final to his countryman, Nadal. The 22-time Major winner was also a big fan of Indian Wells for one reason – he could play golf at incredible courses on his days off.
The off-court activity made Nadal arguably even better on the court – he felt relaxed at the tournament and had extra motivation to stay in California for as long as possible. And Alcaraz has confessed that he’s doing exactly the same thing.
Rafael Nadal also loved playing golf on his days off in Indian Wells (Image: Getty)
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Asked whether he had time to play golf in between matches like Nadal used to, the two-time defending champion replied: “Yes. Almost every day.
“As I said, I love here, because I have time to spend with my team, with my family, for myself, as well.
“So I love playing golf. I think here is the paradise of golf. I try to have time to play golf and turn off my mind. That helps me a lot then to play good tennis.”
Golf isn’t the only thing helping Alcaraz thrive in the Californian desert. While some players struggle with the blustery conditions on the court, the Spaniard enjoys playing in the wind – much like Nadal did during his career.
“I think every day [there] is a little bit of wind which I like playing with. So I think everything suits pretty well to my game, to my style,” he explained.
“I have time to reach the ball when I’m defending. I have time to make good positions to attack during the points.”
Alcaraz will be hoping to extend his winning streak when he faces Francisco Cerundolo in Thursday’s quarter-final. The 21-year-old won their only previous tour-level meeting at London’s Queen’s Club last summer.