Carlos Alcaraz to feature in exhibition match just before Indian Wells

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz is set to feature in an exhibition event just before the Indian Wells. The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with the likes of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

As per the latest report by Spanish daily Marca, Alcaraz will play an exhibition match against America’s Frances Tiafoe in Puerto Rico. From there, the reigning world number two will fly to Indian Wells and feature in the ATP 1000 event.

The news is surprising, considering Alcaraz raised concern about the tough schedule last year. In September, he doubled down on his comments, saying that the schedule is very hard for him to handle and that it also affects his performance.

“Sometimes I didn’t feel motivated at all,” he said back in September as quoted by Tennis 365. “It is a difficult moment. As I said many times, you know, the calendar is so tight, a lot of tournaments, no days off or not as many days off as I want. Probably during the next few years gonna be even more tournaments, more mandatory tournaments. So, I mean, probably they are going to kill us in some way.”

Alcaraz had a tough beginning to his year where in two out of three events, he failed to book a place in the semifinal or beyond. His only impressive performance came in the ATP event in Rotterdam, where he lifted the title after beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the final with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Alcaraz has a fabulous record while playing in the Indian Wells where he has lifted back-to-back titles. He won the competition last year after beating one-time Grand Slam winner Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-1.