What Carlos Alcaraz has already done better than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells

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Carlos Alcaraz has the chance to emulate Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells, where he is the second seed. 

Alcaraz is chasing a third successive Indian Wells title, a feat previously achieved by Djokovic and Federer.

Former ATP number one Alcaraz has been working on his serve in training, but will quickly turn into match mode for his opener.

Earning a bye in round one, Alcaraz takes on the winner of Pablo Carreno Busta and Quentin Halys in round two.

The four-time Grand Slam champion is very much the man to beat at Indian Wells, having beaten Daniil Medvedev in the last two finals.

Carlos Alcaraz boasts better Indian Wells win rate than Big Three

But his two wins do fall short of the five of both Federer and Djokovic, and indeed the three of fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz is, however, ahead of the Big Three when it comes to the best win rate in men’s singles at Indian Wells.

READ MORE: The ATP and WTA players with the most sets won by 6-0 or 6-1 in 2025 so far ahead of Indian Wells

As per OptaAce, among players with 10 or more matches, his 88.9% (16-2) win record is top of the pile, and represents his best win rate at an ATP Masters 1000 event.

Three-time champion Jimmy Connors is second on 85%, with Nadal sitting third with his win rate of 84.2%.

And completing the top five are Djokovic and Federer, with Indian Wells win rates of 83.6% and 83.5% respectively.

What is Carlos Alcaraz’s potential route to Indian Wells hat-trick?

Alcaraz clearly feels at home in California and indeed on the hard courts of the US in general, having won the US Open back in 2022.

But it remains to be seen how he deals with the new surface, with Indian Wells switching from Plexipave to Laykold.

READ MORE: Andy Roddick names the two ATP players who could really benefit from the Indian Wells court change and perform really well

It is, however, in line with the US Open and Miami Open, meaning Alcaraz may just thrive even more with the surface change.

The second seed last year, he overcame fourth seed Medvedev 7-6(7-5), 6-1, following his 6-3, 6-2 victory over the Russian in the 2023 final.

Alcaraz was the top seed back then, while his opponent was the fifth seed, with another final meeting on the cards after they were named on opposing sides of the draw.

The Spaniard could also meet Alexander Zverev for the trophy, with Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz among his likely quarter-final and semi-final opponents respectively.