"I felt the ball stronger": Carlos Alcaraz discusses racket adjustments ahead of next round at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz, full of confidence after defeating Denis Shapovalov, reached the 4th round of Indian Wells and spoke about the changes he made to his racket for this season. The 4-time Grand Slam champion is on track to secure his third consecutive title in Tennis Paradise.

A strong start against the 28th seed Canadian, taking three consecutive breaks and jumping ahead to 5-0. Slowly, the former world No. 10 found his rhythm and managed to recover slightly, but it wasn’t enough against a dominant Alcaraz, who closed the match with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

The Spaniard has shown improvements in his game this season, seeking greater consistency throughout the year. Not only did he change the mechanics of his serve during the off-season, but he also decided to increase the weight of his racket by 5 grams, a seemingly minimal change but one that has impacted the game of the world No. 3.

“Well, I think that I wasn't one of the players who played with less weight on the racquet. I think it was too low. So I just thought about trying it and let’s see how it’s going to be,” he explained in the press conference. “I just slagged it. I was looking for some specific moments of the match or shots that I thought I could improve my game a little bit, you know, when I was running or some specific shots.”

“I felt really well playing with those five grams more. I felt the ball. It was flying or it is flying kind of differently, with more strength,” the 2-time defending champion stated. “So I just started to play with it, and I think it was a great change for me.”

When asked if he noticed a major change in the pace or spin of his shots, Alcaraz responded, “I just feel the ball, I mean, I can control it. The ball, it’s totally the same, but it feels like when I hit it, when I hit it well, it goes stronger. I think for the opponent, it is more difficult to control it, I think. So it is my feeling.”

Alcaraz prepares for the 4th round on Wednesday against 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov. ‘Carlitos’ is on a 14-match winning streak at Indian Wells, but the Bulgarian is one of the players who has managed to make it difficult for him. In head-to-head matchups, Alcaraz leads 3-2, though the last two encounters have been victories for the 33-year-old.