"Carlos Alcaraz needs to do something with his mentality" - Fans shocked as Spaniard loses to Jack Draper in 'strange' Indian Wells SF

Tennis fans expressed their shock following Carlos Alcaraz's unexpected loss to Jack Draper in the semifinals of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters. Alcaraz was the two-time defending champion at the tournament, having clinched the title in 2023 and 2024 by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the finals.

Alcaraz was seeded second at the ATP Masters 1000 hard court event in California, and he began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He cruised past Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2 in his opening match and followed it up by victories over 27th seed Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4 and 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-1 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively

In the quarterfinals, Carlos Alcaraz secured a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo, earning a spot in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. However, his hopes of defending the Indian Wells title were shattered by 13th seed Jack Draper, who defeated him 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 in an hour and 44 minutes to advance to his first Masters 1000 final.

Tennis fans were shocked by Carlos Alcaraz's semifinal defeat at Indian Wells, a tournament where he had previously done so well. The fans took to social media to express their opinions on the Spaniard's loss

One fan suggested that Alcaraz needed to make adjustments to his "mentality," "serve" and "tactics" to return to his winning ways. The fan also recommended that the former World No.1 consider parting ways with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, whom they believed was not "helping at all."

"I'm gonna die on that hill but Carlos needs to do something with his tactic/serve/mentality and I don’t feel like JCF is helping at all," a fan posted.

Comment byu/pizzainmyshoe from discussion intennis

Another fan described the semifinal clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Draper at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters as "strange."

"It was a strange match because at no point did we see the players playing at their best at the same time," a fan wrote.

"No comments. Just sadness," a fan posted.

"Rune Vs Draper was not on my bingo card for IW 2025 finals," a fan wrote.

Comment byu/pizzainmyshoe from discussion intennis

Here are some other fan reactions:

"Upsetting loss from Carlos [Alcaraz]. He really fumbled a lot of chances to hold serve in the decider," a fan posted.

"Dude got breadstick'd, then bageled Draper, fell down 5-2, rallied to make it 5-4 and then lost. At Indian Wells, this is an absolute stunner," a fan wrote.

"What a weird match," a fan posted.

Comment byu/pizzainmyshoe from discussion intennis

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After defeating Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper will face Holger Rune at the Indian Wells final

Jack Draper during his match against Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells [Image Source: Getty Images]

After defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters, Jack Draper will go head-to-head with Holger Rune in the final of the tournament.

Draper is the 13th seed at the ATP Masters 1000 hard court event in California and he kicked off his campaign in the second round following a first-round bye. He defeated wild card Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-0 in his opening match, and then triumphed over Jenson Brooksby 7-5, 6-4, and third seed Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the World No.14 overcame 11th seed Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-5, and most recently defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and secured his spot in the championship match.

On the other hand, Holger Rune is seeded 12th at Indian Wells and he defeated the likes of Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 18th seed Ugo Humbert 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, and eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in the second, third, and fourth rounds, respectively.

Rune then overcame Tallon Griekspoor 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-4 in the semifinals to secure his place in the final.

Jack Draper and Holger Rune have faced each other only once on the ATP Tour, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, which the Dane won 6-4, 6-2.