Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Rio de Janeiro to play the ATP 500 in the Brazilian city with the hopes of improving his performance last week in Buenos Aires, but his enthusiasm lasted just two games. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who had just lost in the semifinals of the Argentina Open against the Chilean Nicolás Jarry, sprained his right ankle when he was playing the second point of his debut against the local Thiago Monteiro and had to retire.
He generated concern from the first moment because he was left lying on the brick dust of the Guga Kuerten stadium for a few seconds and the chilling image at the moment of the injury confirmed that there was an injury. Alcaraz tried to slide to look for a cross drive from Monteiro, but his right leg got stuck and that led to him falling with all the weight of his body on that right ankle.
He received attention from one of the tournament doctors, who strongly supported the affected area, and tried to continue playing. He broke in that first game with Monteiro’s serve, but you could tell that he was trying to finish the points in two or three shots. He was not in a position to make large trips.
Later the Brazilian recovered the break and that was when Carlitos realized that it made no sense to continue on the court and left the game. In the absence of an official diagnosis, it is difficult to imagine that he can compete in the exhibition with Rafael Nadal that he had scheduled for March 3 (less than two weeks from now) in Las Vegas.
Depending on the degree of the injury, he will decide with his team whether to play the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells (March 8 to 19) and Miami (March 19 to April 2). His intention is to reach both events, as well as the exhibition match against Rafa Nadal scheduled for March 3.
“Tomorrow I will undergo imaging tests to see what comes out, but both my physio and the ATP believe it is not something serious,” he said at the subsequent press conference. “In the end the ankle is still hot. It has to cool down and I have to see the sensations to define my next movements. I have to wait for what appears in the images and, from there, take one direction or another.”
The champion in 2022 and finalist last year in the Brazilian city, explained that he feels “a little pain” and that he feels discomfort when walking. “I’m a little lame, but let’s take it easy. I’m going to recover and rest and tomorrow will be another day. I have the tests and I’ll see what course I choose,” he said.
