Carlos Alcaraz fell just short in his bid to win a third-consecutive title at Indian Wells.
The Spanish star looked set to win in California once more, before Jack Draper beat Alcaraz in the semi-finals, 6-1, 0-6, 6-4.
Alcaraz had won his four opening matches in straight sets, knocking out Quentin Halys, Denis Shapovalov, Grigor Dimitrov, and Francisco Cerundolo without too much trouble.
The defeat against Draper was his first at Indian Wells in 1,092 days, when he lost to his fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, in the 2022 semi-finals.
He’ll look to bounce back at the year’s second Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, as the ATP number three now reveals which shot from his game is working ‘better than ever.’
Carlos Alcaraz says his backhand is ‘better than ever’ ahead of the 2025 Miami Open
Speaking ahead of the 2025 Miami Open, Alcaraz opened up about the technical change he’s made recently.
“I’m not going to say that it was a big change, but we as tennis players change a little bit ourselves based on the feelings or if we think it would be better for our style,” he said.
“That’s what happened to me, that I thought this change would be better for my backhand, my style, and my level.”
Alcaraz then explained how successful he thinks the change has been, regardless of his most recent defeat in California.
“Right now I’m feeling great,” he said.
“I think I’m feeling the backhand better than ever, that’s a great feeling.
“It’s all about finding the small changes in your game to help you out, to try to always get better.”
Alcaraz began working on changes to his backhand near the end of the 2024 season, a decision he said was made on his own.
“I am a player who makes changes without working on them, I didn’t speak to Juan Carlos [Ferrero] or anyone else,” he said last year.
“Without thinking I just started doing it and it started to feel good.”
Carlos Alcaraz prepares for tough Miami Open test against David Goffin
Belgium’s David Goffin battled back from a set down against Aleksandar Vukic to book his place in the second round of the Miami Open, where he’ll take on Alcaraz.
The former world number seven has played the Spaniard twice before, with the head-to-head level at one a piece.
- 2022 Astana R32 – David Goffin beat Carlos Alcaraz, 7-5, 6-3
- 2021 Melbourne 1 R32 – Carlos Alcaraz beat David Goffin, 6-3, 6-3
Goffin shocked Alcaraz in Kazakhstan three years ago, beating the world number one in straight sets to advance to the last 16.
Currently ranked 55th in the world, Goffin will enter the court as a big underdog in Miami but will take inspiration from an upset he scored earlier in the year.
At the Mexican Open, Goffin advanced to the quarter-finals with a surprise win over America’s Ben Shelton, 7-6, 6-3.
The American had been tipped as one of the favorites for the title but was no match for Goffin, as Shelton fell to defeat in Acapulco.
The Mexican Open was, however, the only tournament Goffin won multiple matches at this year, as he headed to Miami with a disappointing 3-7 record in 2025.
Scoring his fourth win against Vukic, Goffin will no doubt hope to add a fifth when he takes on Alcaraz on Friday, March 21.
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