American women's tennis suffered a total defeat on the opening day, and Alcaraz made explosive remarks when discussing Djokovic's incredible 2011 start record.

After the Indian Wells 1000 tournament officially began, the most frustrated people were probably the host nation's fans, as all American women's singles players competing on the opening day were completely wiped out.

This year at Indian Wells, American women's tennis once again showcased an enviable depth of talent, with the number of players in the women's singles draw reaching a peak of around 20.

Unfortunately, the five American players who appeared on the first day—Keys, Li, McNally, Parks, and Stephens—all fell at the first hurdle, collectively staging a mass first‑round exit, tumbling out one after another like dumplings dropping into boiling water, a tragic scene.

Among the five, aside from Keys and Stephens, the losses of the others were somewhat surprising.

Keys faced one of the "three popular young stars" in women's tennis, Şenmez, in the first round and was not expected to overcome the Turkish player beforehand. Therefore, losing in straight sets to this popular figure was considered quite normal; the only surprise was that she ended up leaving with a bagel.

Stephens, though a Grand Slam champion, is far from her former self. Her opponent Osorio, while not widely known, is a rather capable rising star who won the 2019 US Open girls' singles title and the 2021 Bogotá 250 tournament, once reaching a career‑high ranking of No. 33.

The American star, nearing 33, has had a poor start to the new season and entered the Indian Wells 1000 with a wild card. Ultimately, her straight‑sets loss to Osorio was hardly noteworthy.

However, Li's loss to qualifier Gibson was rather hard to comprehend.

Li's title‑winning performance at last year's Guangzhou 250 was impressive. Although her form since the new season began hasn't been outstanding, against an opponent like Gibson, failing to even force a third set and surrendering in straight sets is clearly unsatisfactory.

Parks' match against Japanese player Sakazaki was jokingly called by some fans and netizens as "the American teaching the Japanese a lesson" before the match, given the apparent gap in ability. Yet when the match ended, it was Parks who got taught, as the Japanese player swept past the home competitor in straight sets.

McNally's loss to Jiménez was also a surprise. Her opponent's recent form has been quite unstable, and many believed the American, with home‑court advantage, should have had no trouble defeating her. Instead, she unexpectedly stumbled and fell to her racket.

Although McNally fell as a favorite, her defeat was the most acceptable among the five. Some fans and netizens remarked, "At least she played a full three sets, while the others all lost in straight sets."

Although the American women suffered a disheartening collective defeat on the opening day at Indian Wells, this losing streak is likely to end soon. Aside from the advantage of sheer numbers, players like Gauff, Pegula, and Anisimova, who are yet to appear, are clearly a cut above many others and absolutely reliable.

Currently trending at Indian Wells, besides the heavily hit American women's contingent on opening day, is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

When Alcaraz was interviewed about Djokovic's incredible record from the 2011 season, his explosive remarks made many feel for the Spanish talent.

Everyone knows 2011 was one of Djokovic's peak calendar years, but few may specifically recall the historic 41‑match winning streak he opened that season with.

"Now that it's my turn to chase it, you realize how difficult it is. You think 41 wins isn't that many, but when you reach 12, you realize it's already unforgettable—it means you still have to win four or five more matches, some of which are among the most important in the world. That's when you truly understand what it means." Alcaraz admitted that now that he's chasing Djokovic's record, it feels "almost inhuman." This striking statement also laid bare the Serbian superstar's extraordinary greatness.

The Spaniard suddenly brought up Djokovic's incredible record because, after the start of the 2026 season, he has now achieved 12 consecutive opening wins, leading many to believe he could match the Serbian's feat. Although Alcaraz very much wants to become the second active player to accomplish this incredible record, he himself admits it's extremely hard and feels overwhelming just thinking about it.

Some teased the Spaniard: Djokovic achieved this feat back when he was surrounded by greats like Federer, Nadal, Murray, etc. The competitive environment Alcaraz faces now is clearly weaker than what the Serbian faced then. If even he can't do it, it will likely be even harder for anyone else. They encouraged him to have confidence—what if he accidentally reaches that goal!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River's Starry Sky)