Carlos Alcaraz has revealed unfortunate behind-the-scenes details in the lead-up to his Indian Wells loss to Jack Draper. The Spaniard said this particular loss was especially “hurtful.”
Alcaraz was the two-time defending champion at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, having won the titles in 2023 and 2024. He appeared indomitable in his matches en route to the semifinal, having not lost a single set.
Carlos Alcaraz started his campaign by beating Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2. He continued his streak with notable victories against Denis Shapovalov (6-2, 6-4), Grigor Dimitrov (6-1, 6-1), and Francisco Cerundolo (6-3, 7-6(4)).
However, the Spaniard couldn’t keep pace with an in-form Jack Draper on Saturday, March 15. Draper, just like Alcaraz, had yet to lose a set, having secured promising wins against Joao Fonseca, Jenson Brooksby, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton.
In the semifinal, the Brit raced to a 6-1 lead within just 23 minutes of play. While Alcaraz staged a massive comeback, bageling his opponent in the second set, Jack Draper ultimately outclassed him in the decider with the score reading 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 after one hour and 45 minutes.
Addressing his devastating exit in his press conference, Carlos Alcaraz said:
“I mean, this one hurts. I don’t want to lose any match, but I think this one was even more special to me.”
The 21-year-old revealed that he was overcome by nerves before the match.
“It was difficult today, a lot of nerves in the match,” he said. “What could I have done better? Just to play my style and, you know, stepping on the court with less nerves. I think that was a big difference.”
Alcaraz added that his training session didn’t pan out as expected either, following which he had an intense chat with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
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