Indian Wells new surface: How Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and other players reacted to sudden change

The Indian Wells will have a new surface starting in 2025. The organizers announced a new partnership with sports surface provider Laykold. Previously, Plexipave was in charge of the Indian Wells courts for more than two decades.

This surface change on the eve of the start of the tournament has received mixed signals from the players. Some believed that the new surface would play a big role in the outcome, while others felt no major difference from the previous one.

Speaking before the start of the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Alexander Zverev were among the major tennis stars who expressed their thoughts on the surface change at the Indian Wells.

Carlos Alcaraz said that he was surprised at the decision to change the court surface. The Spanish star felt that the change was unnecessary given his 25-year history at the Indian Wells.

"The court is faster, right? I don't know. Honestly, it's a change that I didn't understand when I saw it. It was 25 years the tournament, it was the same court, and then right now has changed. I don't know the reason why (they) did it," Carlos Alcaraz said.

Daniil Medvedev agreed with Alcaraz and added that he felt the new court was slower compared to the previous one. This came as a surprise, given the new court was expected to add more pace and low bounce for the players.

"I will be honest with you, it's okay, I like Indian Wells, I even like the courts now, but they seem to be almost slower than before, very slow. I don't know what other players think, but as I said, I just had two days, jet-lagged," Daniil Medvedev said.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina also shared that she felt there was a big difference between the court this year and last year. The Kazakh star complained about the lack of bounce at this year's Indian Wells.

"Well, I feel that it's not much faster, but I will say maybe the bounce a little bit lower. The past few days were, like, very windy and a lot of sun came, so it's also a bit different, the bounce. But I think the court's still nice," Rybakina said.

Alexander Zverev and Iga Swiatek give a different take on the new Indian Wells surface

While Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev complained about the new court at the BNP Paribas, a few other stars did not agree with their judgment. Alexander Zverev was surprised by his colleagues' complaints and claimed that he felt no difference in the new court.

"There is a new surface? Feels the same to me, to be honest. Practiced here for four days, I didn't notice it. Didn't know anything about it," Alexander Zverev said.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek was another one of the big names to claim that the new courts didn't feel different to her. The Polish star added that the players are facing a mental block with the new surface, but it is playing the same as the previous years.

“Honestly, I don't feel much difference. We come here after a year anyway, after a year of playing on different surfaces. Everybody says it's a bit different, but I don't know if -- it's actually in the back of our heads because everybody is talking about it," Swiatek said.

Aryna Sabalenka agreed with Swiatek's judgment and claimed that the fast courts would suit her better. However, the World No. 1 remained coy on her final judgment and said that she would understand the court better when she plays her first match at the BNP Paribas 2025.

"I love them. They're a little bit faster, which is good for me, right? No, but it feels good, feels good so far. I'll tell you later after my first match. I hope I'll still like it," Sabalenka said.