Tennis

Alcaraz relishing tough clash with Norrie: “He’s a gladiator… I’m hungry for revenge”

“Facing Cam is always tough,” the world No.1 said. “He’s a real fighter who battles for every point, every set, every match”.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea

Nacho Albarrán Andy Hall

Update: Mar 12th, 2026 09:26 EDT

After defeating Casper Ruud in the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells Masters 1000, Carlos Alcaraz spoke to the media and offered a detailed breakdown of his performance and what comes next.

On his win over Ruud

“I’m really happy with how I played today,” Alcaraz said. “I think I showed a very high level in both sets. I’m leaving the court really satisfied because I hit the goals I set for myself before the match. Hopefully I can keep this level in the next round.”

Carlos Alcaraz, you're something else! 💫@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise | @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/9jluUqla42
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 11, 2026

Next opponent: Cameron Norrie

“Facing Cam is always tough,” he admitted. “We’ve had some great battles in the past, and he beat me the last time we played, so I’m hungry for revenge. He’s a complicated opponent. Lefties are always tricky, and he changes the height of the ball a lot. His backhand is really flat, and his forehand has tons of spin, so it’s hard to anticipate how the ball is going to come at you.”

Alcaraz added that Norrie’s mentality is just as challenging as his game: “He’s a gladiator — a real fighter who battles for every point, every set, every match. Playing someone who never gives up on a ball is always difficult.”

Textbook tennis from @cam_norrie 📚@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/WS3BHjiUil
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 11, 2026

João Fonseca’s rapid rise

“I watched part of Jannik’s match against João, even though I couldn’t see the whole thing,” Alcaraz said. “He’s playing incredible tennis. When someone pushes Jannik to two tiebreaks (7–6, 7–6), it means they’re playing at a very high level.”

Alcaraz praised the young Brazilian’s potential: “I’m really happy to see João growing as a player. He’s so young, and he’s going to learn a lot from matches like that. I love watching young players evolve, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.”

A small change to the pre‑match routine

“I used to drink an espresso before every match, but not anymore,” he said with a smile. “Now I do other things. I guess people change over time.”

Carlos Alcaraz asked by @Annabel_croft to name his favorite shots in his own game

The answers: Forehand drop shot and tweener lob

Nice#getty pic.twitter.com/tDgJ5lVP9X
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) July 7, 2024

Improvised shot

“It’s not a shot I practice,” Alcaraz explained. “I just felt like I could do it in that moment. Sometimes those things come naturally. For me, in that situation, it was actually the easiest shot to hit. I thought, ‘Why not?’ Those decisions come instinctively when you have the confidence to try them.”