As he smiled and posed for selfies with fans, you would barely have known Carlos Alcaraz’s season had just taken another turn for the worse. A pronounced limp was the only clue that the Spaniard had just suffered a horrible fall, ending his Rio Open campaign two games into his opening-round match against Thiago Monteiro.
Nursing a swollen ankle but never a swollen ego, Alcaraz acceded graciously to every request for a moment of his time. Despite the best efforts of two burly security guards to usher him along, he went out of his way to bid farewell to a tournament official. On and off the court, the 20-year-old remains a class act.
When Alcaraz’s right foot stuck in the clay as he attempted to change direction deep behind the baseline, it was hard to imagine him leaving the grounds in such a chirpy manner. It was a gut-wrenching moment, his ankle turning inwards in a manner that drew instant comparisons with Alexander Zverev’s horrific accident in the 2022 French Open semi-finals, and Alcaraz looked pensive as a physio applied heavy strapping to the area. The resumption of play brought a brief flourish of heavy ball-striking from the Spaniard, but one uncomfortable service game later he was done. Consternation was etched in his features as he apologetically made his way off court.
Five days after suffering a semi-final defeat to Nicolás Jarry in Buenos Aires that “hurt a lot”, it was a miserable conclusion to Alcaraz’s South American campaign.
The good news is that the injury appears less serious than initially feared. In an upbeat social media post published on Wednesday evening, Alcaraz announced the results of an MRI scan and said he would be sidelined for only a few days. He also looked forward to facing Rafael Nadal at the Netflix Slam, an exhibition event set to be held in Las Vegas on 3 March, before heading to California for the first leg of the sunshine swing at Indian Wells.
“I just had an MRI on my ankle after yesterday’s injury, and I have a grade II lateral sprain that will keep me out of work for a few days,” Alcaraz wrote. “See you in Las Vegas and Indian Wells!”
Alcaraz has, of course, been here before. As the scene of his first tour-level victory as a 16-year-old debutant, not to mention his first ATP 500 title two years ago, Rio has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard. But in last year’s final against Cameron Norrie, he suffered a recurrence of an off-season hamstring injury that kept him out of the Australian Open a month earlier. The three-set defeat that followed offered a salutary reminder of the dangers of returning too quickly from injury.
The hope now must be that history does not repeat itself. There are obvious reasons why Alcaraz might be tempted to rush back, not least the 1,000 points he will be defending in Indian Wells, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev to win the title last year. But most medical experts put the recovery time for a grade II ankle sprain at three to six weeks, and injuries of this nature are not to be trifled with. Doing too much, too soon can cause chronic ankle instability. At 20 years old, that is the last thing Alcaraz needs, particularly given the explosive nature of his movement.
Why rush back for an exhibition event? There may be a million reasons, given the rumoured appearance fees involved. But Nadal missed a similar appointment with Alcaraz in Las Vegas due to injury last year, and while Mandalay Bay is little more than a four-hour drive from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, no one could blame the Wimbledon champion for delaying his return for as long as possible. Will it happen? Probably not. Alcaraz and his team will know better than anyone when he is ready to return, but his latest setback should not be underestimated.
“Seeing it on the court, I thought it wasn’t that serious,” said Monteiro following the Spaniard’s retirement. “But seeing it on the screen was ugly. I hope he recovers.”
That hope will be widely shared. From Barcelona and Madrid to Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, Alcaraz has important titles to defend in the months ahead. His ability to see the bigger picture could go a long way to determining his success.