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Carlos Alcaraz has found the fun in tennis again

Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Network / IMAGO

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has won the ATP tournament in Indian Wells again, taking his first title since his triumph at Wimbledon in the summer of 2023.

The Spanish tennis professional won the final 7:6 (7:5), 6:1 against world number four Daniil Medvedev after 1:42 hours.

"Hoisting this trophy in the air, winning this tournament, means a lot to me because I have overcome a lot of problems - in the head and in the body," said Alcaraz, who has been suffering from an ankle injury in recent weeks.

The 20-year-old admitted that he had “often doubted” in the past few months.

»It was very difficult for me to have fun on the pitch.

I wasn’t myself.”

For Alcaraz, it is important to have fun with tennis, and nothing brings out his trademark grin more than winning a point with a "special shot" with which he defeated Jannik Sinner in the semifinals and Medvedev on Sunday.

Against Medvedev he turned the game around after a false start (0:3) and secured the first set in a close tiebreak.

After that he dominated the game, the Russian could no longer find an answer.

After just 32 minutes in the second set, the world number two converted the match point to victory.

In the direct duel between the two tennis stars, he is now further ahead.

The two have faced each other in six matches so far - four times with the better end for Alcaraz.

Alcaraz writes itself into the history books

The world number two said that in addition to the trophy and a check for $1.1 million, he would also take away a valuable problem-solving lesson from Indian Wells.

»It doesn't matter what problems you have.

If you believe in yourself, have a really good team around you and work hard, everything can turn out well," he said.

On the way to his next big title - the Masters in Indian Wells is considered the greatest spectacle after the four Grand Slam tournaments - Alcaraz also defeated Olympic champion Alexander Zverev and ended the winning streak of Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

Alongside his compatriot Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz is now the only player in tennis history to have won five Masters titles before his 21st birthday.

ast/sid/Reuters