Chasing the Sunshine Double after successfully defending his title at the BNP Paribas Open last week, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will start proceedings at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Saturday evening when he faces countryman Roberto Carballes Baena at the Hard Rock Stadium.
As of today, only eight players have won Indian Wells and Miami in a row, a feat last achieved by tennis icon Roger Federer in 2017.
Nonetheless, the Miami Open hard courts have suited to perfection the Spaniard, who in 2022 was crowned champion at the second Masters 1000 of the season.
“I’m feeling great, with a lot of confidence right now,” Alcaraz said during a talk with the press on Thursday.
Adding: “I think I’m playing great tennis. I’m really happy to be here in Miami again, a really special place for me, where I’ve shown great tennis in the past years. I’m feeling great physically and mentally, and I’m ready for this tournament.”
The Masters 1000 is the fifth tournament the Spanish player competes in this season.
The 13-time ATP titlist set off his 2024 campaign at the Australian Open, falling in the quarterfinals to World No. 5 Alexander Zverev.
Then, he headed to the South American swing, bidding to defend his title in Argentina, but things did not go according to plan, as he lost in the semifinals to third seed Nicolas Jarry.
The journey continued in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he suffered an injury scare.
Only two points into his opening match against local Thiago Monteiro, Alcaraz rolled his right ankle, and despite attempting to come back and play, he retired from the ATP 500, visibly in pain.
However, further tests would reveal he had sustained a grade two lateral sprain of his ankle, keeping the two-time major champion away from competition only for some days.
Early in March, he tested himself at the entertaining exhibition match against the 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal staged at the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas, emerging victorious ahead of Indian Wells.
At Tennis Paradise, the 20-year-old lifted his first trophy since Wimbledon, the fifth Masters 1000 of his young career and his first title this season.
For his part, Carballes Baena, currently ranked at World No. 64, opened with a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory in one hour and 39 minutes, outlasting Australian Alexsandar Vukic on Thursday.
The 30-year-old has been struggling to find his best tennis in singles, but playing doubles, he made it through the quarterfinals in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
His best result in singles came early in January when he reached the last eight at the ATP 250 ASB Classic, falling to American Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-3 on Australian soil.