Alcaraz Survives, Slams Indian Wells Rule
Carlos Alcaraz survived a tough match to reach the Indian Wells Round of 16 for the fifth year [https://www.olympics.com/en/news/indian-wells-open-2026-alcaraz-survives-tricky-encounter-with-france-s-rinderknech-to-move-onto-round-of-16] but criticized the inconsistent shot clock rule [https://www.the-express.com/sport/tennis/201597/carlos-alcaraz-tennis-shot-clock].
Alcaraz noted the shot clock sometimes started late, giving him less time than the allotted 25 seconds between points. He also mentioned instances where the clock hadn't even started before he was ready to serve. He said that the inconsistent application of the rule put him in a difficult position during the match. Alcaraz stated that he wants the rule to be the same for every match. Alcaraz defeated Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(1), 7-6(4) to advance to the round of 16 at Indian Wells. He is looking to improve upon his quarterfinal result in 2023.
