Carlos Alcaraz Puts his Japan Open Campaign in Doubt by Skipping Training Session After Injury Scare

Carlos Alcaraz will play Zizou Bergs in the second round of the Tokyo Open after surviving an injury scare in his opening match.

Carlos Alcaraz Puts his Japan Open Campaign in Doubt by Skipping Training Session After Injury Scare

Carlos Alcaraz (via X/Jose Morgado)

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Carlos Alcaraz survived an injury scare in his opening match at the Tokyo Open after he twisted his left ankle against Sebastian Baez. The match was Alcaraz’s first since competing at the Laver Cup with Team Europe. It was also his first match in Japan having featured at the China Open in the same period.

Alcaraz was playing pretty well in the first set against Baez and the tie was at 2-2. The Spaniard’s opponent served for the fifth game, but Alcaraz returned without much stress. However, as he charged away from his baseline to return a drop shot that Baez hit, he jarred his ankle, and that left him limping before eventually falling on the court.

The World No.1 was in serious pain, clutching his ankle before the medics rushed to him. He received a medical timeout and returned to the court. He then delivered an excellent performance to beat the Argentine star 6-4, 6-2 to reach the round of 16 of the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo.

However, it has been reported by MARCA that Alcaraz still continues to have pain in his ankle, 24 hours after beating Baez. He’s currently in the hands of his physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno, who has advised him to rest on Friday (September 26). That made Alcaraz not train on Friday as he aims not to force the affected area of his ankle.

The 22-year-old is expected to play Belgian star Zizou Bergs on Saturday (September 27). The round of 16 match has been scheduled for a night session, which gives Alcaraz a chance to train in the morning, hours before his clash. According to Alcaraz’s team, this is considered the best approach to avoid causing more harm to his ankle.

Also, Alcaraz understands how important this part of the season is for him. To finish the year as World No.1 and have a chance to win the ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, he has to be at his best fitness level. Additionally, a serious injury could disrupt his plans of winning the Rolex Shanghai Masters in October.

Alcaraz is yet to cement his place at the top of the ATP rankings, after leapfrogging Jannik Sinner a few weeks ago. If he doesn’t remain fit, he’s bound to lose points, which will allow Sinner to overtake him. Nonetheless, Alcaraz is also expected to compete at the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh.

Taylor Fritz aims to beat Carlos Alcaraz in major tournaments after victory at the Laver Cup

Carlos Alcaraz fell to Taylor Fritz for the first time in his career at the Laver Cup. It was their fourth meeting on tour and they had won their last three meetings, including a four-set triumph at the Wimbledon Championship semi-finals. But the American star shocked the Spaniard at the Laver Cup in San Francisco, winning 6-3, 6-2.

Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz
Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

However, following the victory, Fritz is now aiming for more match wins against Alcaraz but this time in major tournaments. The World No.5 revealed during his interview with Olympics that he believes he can beat Alcaraz in big events on tour:

But I think just even last week, being able to beat Carlos and Sasha in back-to-back matches, obviously it’s not at a Grand Slam but I think that just does a lot for my belief that I can also do it in a big tournament. I’m someone who always said that if I feel like once I do something once, for me just mentally it feels much easier to repeat it and do it again. And yes, it’s not like we just played in the finals of a Masters or a Slam but even so, I felt a lot of nerves and pressure throughout the match and to me it felt like a big match.

Fritz is into the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Open after winning his first round match 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) against Gabriel Diallo. He then produced another impressive performance to beat Nuno Borges 7-5, 7-6(4) in an hour and 54 minutes. He will now take on fellow compatriot Sebastian Korda next.

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