Alcaraz admits that negative comments on social media affect him

Indian Wells is getting into its final stages, and now the very best will fight to go all the way and lift the prestigious trophy. One of those players is the world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who has performed at a high level since the Californian event started.

The two-time major champion avenged his loss to Fabian Maroszan at the Italian Open in Rome last May and made light work of the Hungarian in straight sets. Now, he will face one of his toughest opponents to date, Alexander Zverev, who has defeated the Murcia native in five of the eight times they have met.

Juan Carlos Ferrero’s player is now three games away from defending the title in Indian Wells, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in last year’s final.

The 20-year-old star seems to have recovered his confidence in a tournament where conditions seem to match his game quite well.

“I think the conditions here suit my game very well. I feel very comfortable on this court, in this tournament. I feel very well”, Alcaraz said after the match.

“I always say I can be better, can play better. But I’m very happy with the way that I approached the match, the way I played. I think I moved well. I controlled very well the timing of the match”, he added.

Alcaraz: “I’m trying not to see 100 percent of the comments”

However, not everything has been positive for Carlitos over the last months. Since he made it to the Cincinnati finals last year, Alcaraz wasn’t able to keep that level of tennis and hasn’t played any other final since then.

Many pundits expected him to come back stronger and make an impact during the South American tour, but Alcaraz was eliminated from Buenos Aires by Nicolas Jarry and he was forced to withdraw from the Rio Open due to injury.

Criticism started to land on Alcaraz’s social media, something the young player admits to have struggled with.

“I think it has been a little bit difficult to be myself, let’s say, the last few months or the past few tournaments. I was trying to enjoy every match and every point, but it was difficult for me to stay there at a high intensity and high pressure, let’s say. It was difficult for me to deal with it, but I tried to stay away from everything and enjoy the court”, he explained.

“I’m trying not to see 100 percent of the comments on social media, but I think it’s something that we are not going to hide from that”, he continued.

“There are a lot of people who are going to comment good things, bad things when we are not in the position to control it. But we have to deal in the best way we can, and that’s something that I’m trying to do”, Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz will be looking to repeat last year’s success at Tennis Paradise and win the 13th ATP title of his career. Despite Djokovic’s elimination, the Spaniard will have to deal with top players like Zverev, Jannik Sinner, or Daniil Medvedev if he wants to reign supreme in California again.