Boris Becker sends respect to Carlos Alcaraz as Spaniard reveals winning mentality after Indian Wells win

Carlos Alcaraz dug deep and pulled off a straight-sets win over Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. During his post-match interview, the Spaniard revealed his winning mentality and earned the seal of approval from tennis legend Boris Becker.

On Thursday, March 13, Alcaraz took on Argentine Cerundolo for a place in the semifinal of the Masters 1000 event. The Spaniard is hoping to clinch a three-peat this year after bagging the event in 2023 and 2024. He won the first set convincingly but trailed by a break for the first time at Indian Wells this year in the second set.

Cerundolo led 4-1 at one point and a deciding set looked imminent. But Alcaraz mounted a huge comeback to win 6-3, 7-6(4). The Argentine could only convert one of his nine break points with the 21-year-old Spaniard saving six of the nine in the first set. He battled hard in the tricky windy conditions at Stadium 1 to advance.

"Tennis is about getting the win," Alcaraz said during the post-match interview. "It doesn't matter how you do it. You're not thinking about playing great tennis every match, every day. These kind of matches, you have to get through with the level that you have that day."

"It's about good behavior, mental strength, just to stay there all the time, trying to get a good rhythm. I didn't hit the ball as clear as yesterday, for example, but I just did what I had to, and that's what tennis is about," he added.

An X account posted Alcaraz's comments and Boris Becker shared it, adding:

"Word"

Becker has previously expressed his affection for Alcaraz's "charisma" when the Spaniard spoke about claiming a hat-trick of titles at Indian Wells.

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Boris Becker on Carlos Alcaraz's 'charisma' and 'infectious' smile as Spaniard revealed his thoughts on Indian Wells three-peat

Carlos Alcaraz at the BNP Paribas Open - Source: Getty

During his pre-tournament press conference, Carlos Alcaraz was asked for his thoughts on winning a three-peat of Indian Wells titles.

"I'm ready to deal with that pressure, but I don't want to think a lot about that. I want to enjoy my time here. Everything here is very easy going and I'm usually very happy here. And when I'm happy I play better," Carlos Alcaraz said.

His comments were posted on X and Boris Becker shared them by adding:

"Carlos smile is infectious…in the history of the game I don’t remember many players with such charisma!"

Roger Federer (2004-06) and Novak Djokovic (2014-16) are the only men to win a hat-trick of Indian Wells titles. Alcaraz is just two matches away from becoming the third.

Up next for the Spaniard is an enticing clash against Jack Draper in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open. The winner of their match will face the winner of the semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune.