Carlos Alcaraz had to work for his third-round win at the Indian Wells Open and after the match he admitted that he now has a “target on his back” every time he steps on court.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner is yet to lose a match so far in 2026, but he found himself in trouble against world No 28 Arthur Rinderknech as he lost the opening set and was a break down after the first game of the second set.
But Alcaraz broke back immediately and then claimed a second break in game six before breaking twice in the decider for a 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-2 victory as he took his unbeaten streak to 14 matches.
During his on-court interview, the top seed said: “He was playing his best tennis, I would say, in the first, the beginning of the second. For me, it was really, really difficult.
“I got in trouble, to be honest, but just really happy with the way that I dealt with everything that was happening. I accepted it, kept going, stayed strong mentally and then tried to do a little bit different… I think I just started to play more solid, waiting for my chances.”
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Later in the post-match press conference, he was asked about players raising their level against him and joked that they turn into Roger Federer whenever they face him.
“To be honest, I just sometimes get tired of playing Roger Federer every round. Sometimes just feel like, yeah, they playing really an insane level,” the world No 1 said.
“I don’t know if I’m feeling not the right way, but I feel it’s just against me all the time. If they play like, you know, that level every match, they should be higher in the ranking. But, you know, obviously is something that concerns me. When I’m just playing, I think about that.
“You know, all can I do is just accept it, keep it going, trying to, like, do different things in the match, trying to, you know, try not to let him be aggressive or playing his style, trying to, you know, put my style, my tennis, my level into the match and trying to turn around the things that what I try to do. But obviously the first thing is just to accept it.
Alcaraz added: “I feel like I have a target on my back, and I feel like if they don’t play that kind of tennis they can’t win.”
The Spaniard will face a player much higher in the ranking next, as he will take on 13th seed Casper Ruud in what will be a rematch of the 2022 US Open final that was won by Alcaraz.
Ruud also came through a three-setter as he beat Valentin Vacherot 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
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