Carlos Alcaraz is in a fantastic mood ahead of starting his campaign in Indian Wells, where he will face Thanasi Kokkinakis in his opening match. Seeded No. 1, the Spanish sensation is the hot favorite to win the tournament, especially following the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic and the early demise of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic could not enter US territory because he is not vaccinated, and Tsitsipas lost his opening match at the hands of Jordan Thompson.
During a recent interview, Carlito commented: “For me, winning the tournament and being No. 1 again is a really good goal, and I really want to go for it. On hard courts, I think I’m a really good tennis player, so I’m going to go for it.”
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
Now ranked no.2, Alcaraz played his last match on the 26th of February when he surrendered to world no.12 Cameron Norrie 5-7 6-4 7-5 in the final in Rio De Janeiro (draw).
Until now, during this year Carlos has managed to achieve a composed 8-1 win-loss record. This year, the Spaniard conquered 1 title in Buenos Aires. Carlos got to the final in Rio de Janeiro.
Alcaraz will play next in Miami (Miami Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 22nd of March.
Kokkinakis in Indian Wells, ranking, and results in 2023
Currently ranked no.94, Kokkinakis achieved a 14-4 record in 2023. The Australian is now playing in Indian Wells where he conquered the world no.813 Yuichi Sugita 7-65 6-3, the world no.115 Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-4 and the world no.193 Brandon Holt 6-4 6-1.
Thanasi Kokkinakis will fight against the world no.2 Carlos Alcaraz in the 2nd round on Saturday at 8:30 pm on STADIUM 1. They have never competed against each other till now in top competitions.
The Australian has won 1 title in 2023 in the Manama Challenger.
Kokkinakis is expected to play next in Miami (Miami Open). He is currently an alternate. The main draw will start on the 22nd of March.
Carlos Alcaraz and Thanasi Kokkinakis have never faced off.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2023
At the moment ranked no.3 (career-high), Tsitsipas played his last match on the 10th of March when he lost to world no.87 Jordan Thompson 7-6(0) 4-6 7-6(5) in the 2nd round in Indian Wells (draw).
At the moment, during this season Tsitsipas has a 13-3 match record. Stefanos Tsitsipas’s best result of the year was getting to the final at the Australian Open.