By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, February 27, 2025
Picture credit score: Frey/TPN/Getty
The Indian Wells Tennis Backyard is one among Carlos Alcaraz’s favourite spots on tour.
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Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev within the 2024 closing to turn out to be the primary man since Novak Djokovic in 2016 to efficiently defend the BNP Paribas Open.
Subsequent week, Alcaraz launches his quest to hitch Roger Federer and Djokovic because the third man to three-pear as Indian Wells champion.
Assembly the media in a Tennis Channel convention name to advertise the community’s first-ball-to-last ball protection beginning on Wednesday, Davenport cited three the reason why Alcaraz is a robust favourite to three-peat.
1. Confidence—Alcaraz rides a 12-match Indian Wells successful streak into the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, together with wins over his prime rivals.
2. Circumstances—The slower, grittier court docket give Alcaraz ample time to arrange for his photographs and launch his flame thrower forehand.
3. Competitors—The second seed ought to prosper in a area the place world No. 1 Sinner is MIA serving his three-month suspension to settle WADA’s enchantment of his doping case.
Moreover, world No. 2 Zverev has suffered back-to-back losses to Francisco Comesana and Learner Tien and Djokovic, who suffered a torn left leg muscle that compelled him to retire from the Australian Open semifinals, has performed only one match since his Melbourne departure.
“Though he shall be seeded 2, I consider behind Zverev… I do not assume any loopy rating factors are falling off this week… he is the favourite in everybody’s thoughts primarily based on his previous play,” Davenport informed the media. “Clearly with out Sinner there as properly.
“He is a type of varieties of gamers that may fill a stadium with folks simply so excited to see what photographs he comes up with, the extent that he brings. He has that “it” issue, and tennis is absolutely fortunate to have him in our sport.
“The floor we had been speaking about offers him extra time to arrange his forehands. It offers him extra time to hit his drop photographs. The ball is just not skidding into him. He can nonetheless hit sufficiently big to hit by means of the situations, later within the day, at night time generally when it will get slightly heavier and slightly cooler.
“He is my favourite there to win the boys.”
