Awaiting the former No. 3 in the second round will be the current No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, who received a bye in the first round.
The Spaniard is 12-0 on the year coming into Indian Wells.
“Of course it’s going to be a tough one—let’s see it for what it is,” Dimitrov said. “I love watching him play. He’s just crushing the ball.
“I love him, in a positive way, but at the same time these are the moments for me that the fun part begins—how, or what can I do differently, or new or interesting, that could potentially not only rattle him but put him in a position where he doesn’t really like that. You never know how the game will unfold because it’s always in your hands, and I believe if I do the right things and cut down on a few mistakes here and there, something good can come out of it. So I’m going to come out with that mindset, and just stay locked in.”
Alcaraz leads their overall head-to-head, 4-2, but there’s some good news for Dimitrov, who’s actually won two of their last three meetings—a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win in Shanghai in 2023 and a 6-2, 6-4 win in Miami in 2024, both hard-court Masters 1000 events.
But the Spaniard did win their last meeting, which was also at a hard-court Masters 1000 event—right here at Indian Wells last year, in the fourth round, and by an impressive 6-1, 6-1 scoreline.
