Carlos Alcaraz, Who Skipped Shanghai Masters, Gives Update on His Ankle Injury Ahead of Six Kings Slam

Carlos Alcaraz injured his ankle during his debut match at the Japan Open against Sebastian Baez.

Carlos Alcaraz, Who Skipped Shanghai Masters, Gives Update on His Ankle Injury Ahead of Six Kings Slam

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

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Carlos Alcaraz will next be seen in action at the Six Kings Slam, the second edition of an exhibition event, scheduled to start on October 16 in Riyadh. Last year, he missed the staggering $6 million prize money after losing the final match against arch-rival Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz last played tennis in the Japan Open final, which ended in his favor after a straight-set win over Taylor Fritz. But during his campaign in Tokyo, he suffered from an ankle injury, which eventually forced him to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters. Alcaraz recently played golf in his home country, and while being there, he gave an update about his ankle injury.

I’ve been at home recovering my ankle, which is doing well all things considered.

Alcaraz would have been on the cusp of losing his No.1 ranking had Sinner defended the Shanghai title. Sinner would have narrowed the rankings gap between him and Alcaraz with the win. But he dealt with severe cramps during this third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor and was forced to retire mid-match. Alcaraz now has a 1000-plus ranking point lead.

Following the Six Kings Slam, Alcaraz will shift his focus toward the last Masters 1000 of the season- the Paris Masters, where last year, he fell in the fourth round against Ugo Humbert. So far this season, the six-time Grand Slam champion has featured in 10 finals and suffered defeats only at the Barcelona Open (to Holger Rune) and Wimbledon (to Sinner). He played the finals of every tournament he has played since the Monte Carlo Masters.

Patrick Mouratoglou on who has the better serve between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

The tennis world loves to compare everything between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, be it their game style, on-court demeanor, and their shot-making skills, among others. Recently, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, took to Instagram and shared his take on who between the World No.1 and the World No.2 has a better serve.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz 1
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Both of their serves are good. I would say that Carlos’ serve is a bit better, even though Jannik’s serve is good. Carlos is way shorter than Jannik and is more consistent with the serve.

But the stats about their serves this year explain a different story. It’s Sinner who has better serving statistics. The Italian has hit an average of 6.7 aces to Alcaraz’s 5.9, as well as committed an average of 1.4 double faults to Alcaraz’s 2.7. The 24-year-old has won 78.8 percent of first serves, while Alcaraz’s number is 74.4.

The former has also won 92 percent of service games to Alcaraz’s 87.5. The only area where the 22-year-old leads is the first serve percentage (64.1), while Sinner has 60.9.

I would say that one reason for that is that if you look at him while they’re both hitting the ball, the upper body of Jannik is going a little bit down, while Carlos’ stays completely straight and just the arm and only the arm passes, which gives him more stability during the shot and as a consequence, more consistency.

Patrick Mouratoglou added

Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other five times already, with the former winning only at SW19. If the four-time Grand Slam champion participates at the Paris Masters, then he and Alcaraz will be projected to face each other in the final.

Since the Italian Open, Sinner and Alcaraz have squared off in the final whenever they played the same tournament. Following the Six Kings Slam, the South Tyrol native will participate in the Vienna Open, which he won in 2023 by beating Daniil Medvedev.

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