Carlos Alcaraz to play his first Indian Wells practise session with Italian player who previously called him ‘the best in the world’

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Carlos Alcaraz is bidding for history at Indian Wells this year as he looks to begin his preparations for the Masters 1000 tournament.

Alcaraz is the defending Indian Wells champion, having won the prestigious title for two consecutive years.

The Spaniard has made a positive start to his season so far, with Alcaraz winning the Rotterdam Open to claim his first indoor title.

However, Alcaraz did suffer a setback in Doha after losing in the quarter-finals to Jiri Lehecka.

Despite this loss, Alcaraz has received a morale boost after being nominated for a prestigious sporting award for the first time.

Carlos Alcaraz to play first Indian Wells practise session with Flavio Cobolli

Alcaraz has been spotted practising on certain shots prior to the Indian Wells tournament, and was also involved in an exhibition with Frances Tiafoe in Puerto Rico.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has now arrived in California, with a scheduled practise session with Italian player Flavio Cobolli.

Alcaraz and Cobolli will be playing on Practice Court 1 at Indian Wells, just a day ahead of the main draw of the tournament getting underway.

The pair have played a competitive match on one previous occasion on the main tour, with Alcaraz beating Cobolli at Roland Garros in 2023.

However, the pair are likely to have got to know one another better in Berlin last year, where Alcaraz helped Team Europe win the Laver Cup.

Cobolli was full of praise for Alcaraz at the time, and was actually heard encouraging the Spaniard on the bench that included calling him ‘the best in the world’.

While this was likely helpful for Alcaraz’s confidence, Cobolli did receive some backlash for his comments.

What did Flavio Cobolli say in response to criticism for his Carlos Alcaraz comments?

With one of Alcaraz’s biggest rivals being Jannik Sinner, it appears that some Italian fans took Cobolli’s comments as him going against his own compatriot.

When speaking to Dna Tennis last year, Cobolli clarified that this was not the case and labelled the criticism as ‘absurd’.

“I don’t know what to say, I find it absurd what is happening in Italy, I think it’s absurd that I have to explain why I told Carlos Alcaraz that he is the best in the world.

“What should I say to someone who is top two in the world while I am top 30… it’s as if I were talking to [Cristiano] Ronaldo, it’s not like I tell him that [Lionel] Messi is better.

“I have enormous respect for Jannik, I am his biggest fan, he also helped me a lot in Davis, I absolutely didn’t want to offend him . We need more respect for them, I don’t care about other people’s thoughts.”

Cobolli will begin his Indian Wells campaign in the first round against a qualifier, while Alcaraz receives an automatic bye as the second seed, where he will play the winner of Quentin Halys or a qualifier.