It means a lot to me – Carlos Alcaraz after winning Indian Wells and reclaiming top spot in ATP rankings

Carlos Alcaraz has made a stunning comeback after recovering from his leg injury. The Spaniard defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 in the final to win Indian Wells for the first time in his career.

The youngster was able to stamp his authority early in the match as he broke the Russian’s serve in the second game of the opening set with a cross backhand and wrapped up the first set in only 35 minutes. Alcaraz was spot on with his serve as he got the wide angles to trouble Medvedev.

The teenager then broke Medvedev’s serve in the opening game of the second set when the Russian could not even win a single point on his serve. Subsequently, Alcaraz took a 3-0 lead when he came up with two solid backhand returns on Medvedev’s serve.

“It means a lot to me. To recover the No. 1 [ranking] is crazy for me,” Alcaraz said after wrapping up the win in a rapid one hour, 10 minutes.

“But especially to lift the trophy here for me means a lot… I love this tournament. I really enjoy my time here and of course, I felt the love from the people from day one. For me, it’s amazing to complete these 10 days like this.”

Meanwhile, Alcaraz will now look to defend his title in the upcoming Miami Open and he stated that winning the BNP Paribas Open will give him a shot in the arm.

“Of course winning a tournament, it gives you a lot of confidence [entering Miami],” the Spaniard said.

“I’m playing great. Of course today, the conditions today were pretty tough. Of course, Daniil didn’t play at his best, obviously. All I can say is I’m really happy with my performance, the way that I [was] playing this tournament. I’m looking forward to playing this level in Miami as well.”

With this win, Alcaraz also reclaimed the top position in the ATP Pepperstone rankings.