It is incredibly hard to gain the status of World No.1, but it is even harder to maintain your position at the top. If you do not believe it, then just ask Carlos Alcaraz. The seven-time Grand Slam winner became the top-ranked men’s Tennis player for the second time in his career in 2025. However, the road has become even tougher for him after achieving the remarkable feat. Alcaraz defeated France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the Round of 32 at the Indian Wells, but didn’t appear to be fully satisfied with his performance.

The Spaniard joked that it feels as if he is coming up against players with the stature of a certain Swiss legend in every round. “Sometimes I get tired of feeling like I’m playing against Roger Federer in every round,” Alcaraz told ATP after the match.

Elaborating on his comments, Carlos Alcaraz remarked that players who come up against him tend to step up their game big time and play at an insanely high level.

“Sometimes it seems like everyone plays at an incredibly high level. I don’t know if it’s just a feeling of mine, but I feel like it’s always happening against me. If they played at that level in every match, they should be much higher in the rankings. It’s something that worries me and that I think about when I’m playing,” he continued.

It proved to be a difficult outing for Alcaraz against Rinderknech. The match went all the way to the third set, and it took the World No.1 over two hours to clinch victory. The first set itself was quite grueling and went down to the wire before the Frenchman won 6-7.

However, Alcaraz made a phenomenal comeback in the second set and, despite a minor ankle issue, ended up winning it 6-3. Riding on the momentum, he would take the third set 6-2 and move to the Round of 16. The 22-year-old described the encounter as “really, really difficult” and admitted that his opponent was playing brilliantly.

“He was playing his best tennis, I would say, in the first, the beginning of the second. For me, it was really, really difficult. I got into trouble, to be honest, but I’m really happy with how I dealt with everything that was going on. I accepted it, moved on, stayed strong mentally and then tried to do something different. I think I just started to play more solidly, waiting for my chances.”

This victory saw the seven-time Grand Slam champion continue his perfect run in 2026 and extend his unbeaten streak to 14-0. He has been in the form of his life and has completely outclassed his opponents on most of the occasions. He has already claimed two titles this year and is hungry to win more. Even Rinderknech couldn’t help but hail Alcaraz for not just his performance, but also for his humility off the court.

Rinderknech tips his hat to Carlos Alcaraz

After taking Alacaraz to the limit, Rinderknech had nothing but praise for his opponent and even spoke about his qualities.

“He’s a huge champion and on top of that, he’s a good guy, a very nice and very well-mannered guy. He deserves congratulations for everything he does. And secondly, I told him I’d like him to talk to the chair umpire so we’re drawn further apart in the brackets,” Rinderknech said after the match.

The two have met a total of six times now, and Alcaraz has claimed victory in all the encounters. However, despite still not being able to beat him, Rinderknech is happy about being drawn against the Spaniard often.

“I’ve drawn him several times now, and even though it’s a huge pleasure to play against him, I’d be happy to face him later, or not at all. The task of beating him is extremely tough. He’s pushing the limits of tennis.”

Having qualified for the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells, Alcaraz will now be locking horns against Norway’s Casper Ruud. The World No.1 has dominated this match-up over the years and currently leads the H2H by 5-1.

Carlos Alcaraz already holds two titles here from 2023 and 2024. The question now is: Will he top Ruud in their seventh matchup to take a step closer to his third Indian Wells title? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.