The 2024 BNP Paribas Open has ended, and Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are the champions at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Both Alcaraz and Swiatek got $1.1 million in prize money for their accomplishments, the highest ever at the Indian Wells Open.
Alcaraz Secures Second Consecutive Title Despite Doubts
Carlos Alcaraz, 20, came to Indian Wells with lingering doubts about his twisted right ankle, as per TENNIS.com. However, that did not stop him from securing victory.
In the men’s final on Sunday, March 17, Alcaraz had a tough first set against Daniil Medvedev, but still beat the Russian tennis player 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Alcaraz and Medvedev have played against each other six times so far, according to Tennis Majors. Their first encounter was at Wimbledon in 2021, where Medvedev defeated Alcaraz 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. The next match was at the 2023 Indian Wells Finals, where Alcaraz beat Medvedev 6-3, 6-2.
Reflecting on his back-to-back Indian Wells win, Alcaraz told reporters in his post-match interview that the feeling of this win was “difficult to put it into words because [he] had really difficult months.”
“In the last two months, it was hard for me to find myself. I didn’t enjoy stepping on the court. I wasn’t myself on the court the last two or three months, so it was tough for me. It means a lot to me, lifting this trophy because I overcame a lot of problems in my head, a lot of physical problems. It was so special for that,” Alcaraz said.
“That’s why I’m really, really happy to lift this trophy, because I found myself at this tournament, and I felt really, really good.”
Swiatek Maintained Her Dominance and Celebrated Win with Zendaya
On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek maintained her position as No. 1 in the world. In the women’s final, the 22-year-old Polish tennis star defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0.
Swiatek quickly took a 3-0 lead in the opening set against Sakkari. Even though Sakkari made a brief comeback, Swiatek kept her composure and closed the set with precision and confidence. She then won six straight games in a row.
Throughout the entire tournament, Swiatek only lost 21 games in six matches. Swiatek’s continuous dominance on the court earned her the 2024 Indian Wells title and admiration from fans and peers.
American actress and singer, Zendaya.
Zendaya stood proudly next to Swiatek as she held her trophy.
Following her win, TENNIS.com reported that Andy Roddick told the Tennis Channel that “Iga has become more bankable over the course of her career. As good as we all know she is, her career at this point is almost undersold. . . she’s approaching the rare air: [Justine] Henin, [Maria] Sharapova, Lindsay [Davenport], [Kim] Clijsters.”
Swiatek was particularly excited about this win. In her post-match interview, the Russian told reporters: “Right now, I just feel like I’ve done really good work,” Swiatek continued, “I just know that it hasn’t been easy after Australian, and I’ve been working really hard to play well and to handle everything mentally well. I’m just proud of myself because of that.”
