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World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz insisted that he is "ready" for Indian Wells and has played down any concerns of any potential injury problems, saying he aiming for Indian Wells' glory.
The 19-year-old took some time off after pulling out of Acapulco due to a right hamstring injury he sustained during his journey to the Rio de Janeiro final. But Alcaraz bounced back quickly and is ready to go at the first ATP Masters 1000 of the year after spending less than a week off the court. "I'm [feeling] really good right now. Today was the first practice that I practised with some players, [played] some points. I feel great. I took some days off and it was really good for me. Right now I'm ready," Alcaraz said in a pre-match press conference. "It's a really good goal for me. Of course playing a Masters 1000 is always tough and I really want to have a good result here. I love this tournament as well," he said of the potential double. This week, Alcaraz has a lot on the line. If he captures his third Masters 1000 title, he would reclaim the top spot in the ATP Rankings. The Spaniard is driven to pursue success on both fronts even though he does not view himself as a favourite in the desert. "For me, winning the tournament and being No. 1 again is a really good goal and I really want to go for it," he added. The Spaniard has recently encountered this scenario, as his run to the 2022 US Open championship propelled him to World No. 1 for the first time in September. While Alcaraz has already won one title in 2023--the Buenos Aires tournament he won to open the season--he is still searching for his first hard-court crown since his New York triumph. "On hard court I think I'm a really good tennis player, so I'm going to go for it. I don't consider myself a favourite to win the tournament because [it has been] a long time since I played on hard court. Of course there are a lot of great players in this draw that have chances to win the tournament," said Alcaraz. "I would say that I have my chances to win the tournament and I'm going to [try to] take it," he added. Alcaraz will open his third Indian Wells campaign against qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis or wild card Brandon Holt. (ANI)
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