Alcaraz is looking to become the first man to three-peat at the BNP Paribas Open stop since Novak Djokovic pulled it off in 2016. There’s a new element in play this year, as Indian Wells organizers switched surfaces from Plexipave to Laykol—bringing the tournament in line with the US Open and Miami.
While the likes of Daniil Medvedev declared it was “probably the slowest I’ve ever played on in my life” after winning his opener last Friday, Alcaraz hasn’t felt much of a difference between the two.
“Right now that I practiced few times, that I have played two matches, it’s kind of (the) same court, really slow, bounce a lot,” commented the 21-year-old.
“It’s totally different when you play at night or during the day, but I practice, for example, this morning. It was a lot of heat, and the ball was super bouncing and the court is super slow.
“So didn’t (feel) any difference, which for me I think is good. They said that they change it, but if nobody told me that, I would think it is the same.”
