"It's difficult to be myself the last few months" - Carlos Alcaraz on avoiding negative social media comments to rekindle his enjoyment on court

Carlos Alcaraz has opened up about the challenges he has faced in finding enjoyment in matches over the last few months.

Alcaraz is looking to defend his title at Indian Wells and secure his first title since Wimbledon last year. The Spaniard commenced his campaign with a strong 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-1 win over Matteo Arnaldi before beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round.

Following his win over Auger-Aliassime, Carlos Alcaraz shed light on his recent struggles, admitting that he haa faced difficulty maintaining his identity on court amid the intense pressure and diminishing enjoyment.

"Well, I think for me, it's a little bit difficult to be myself, let's say, the last few months or the past few tournaments. I was trying to enjoy, let's say, every match, every point, but it was difficult for me, you know, to stay there in high intensity, high level of pressure, let's say," he said in his post-match press conference.

Concerns have arisen over the World No. 2's form amid his title drought, with criticism on social media exacerbating the situation. He highlighted the challenge of dealing with such negative comments.

The 20-year-old revealed that the negativity has prompted him to avoid such distractions entirely to rediscover the joy of competition.

"It was difficult for me to deal with it, but I [am] trying to stay away for everything and trying to, you know, enjoy the court. I think that's the most important thing for me. You know, as I said many times, I'm a guy that see a lot of the phone, and I see a lot of comments that the people give to you," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"Most of them are really good ones, but a few of them is the bad ones. You know, it's difficult to deal with it, but, yes, that's what I'm trying to do, to stay away from everything, be myself and enjoy every time that I step on the court," he added.

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Carlos Alcaraz: "It was difficult months for me; my confidence go down a little bit"

Carlos Alcaraz

During the press conference, Carlos Alcaraz also admitted to grappling with a decline in confidence due to his struggles in recent months.

"Yeah. I mean, it was difficult months for me. My confidence go down a little bit. Not after Australia but in the South American swing. After Buenos Aires, I didn't play good tennis," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"Yeah, my confidence go down a little bit, and I have been struggling during the practice every day, you know, try to keep my confidence high or as high as I can. Yeah, trying to be myself every day," he added.

However, the Spaniard added that his strong showing against Felix Auger-Aliassime injected a much-needed boost in confidence.

"You know, yeah, after the first round I was struggling a little bit in the first set. I didn't play my tennis, but I found the good parts to start playing a little bit better, and today was a really good match since the beginning until the last ball. So it was really helpful for my confidence and for my tennis," he said.

Carlos Alcaraz will continue his Indian Wells title defense against Fabian Marozsan in the fourth round, giving him the opportunity to avenge his shock defeat in the third round of the 2023 Italian Open.