World number two Carlos Alcaraz retired from his first-round match against Thiago Monteiro at the ATP Rio Open on Tuesday after rolling his right ankle on the second point of the competition. The Spaniard took a medical timeout, got his ankle taped and won the first game, but left the game after losing serve in the second, another blow to a disappointing 2024 campaign so far. Alcaraz told reporters immediately after the match that the decision to withdraw was a “precautionary one” and that the physiotherapist treating him had indicated that the injury was “not serious.” “I talked to the physiotherapist on the court and we decided together that I would continue to see if it improved. It didn’t, so we chose to be cautious and withdrew as a precaution,” Alcaraz said, adding that Said further. There are more tests on Wednesday.
The two-time Grand Slam winner’s tough start to 2024 included a four-set loss to Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
He lost to 21st-ranked Nicolas Jarry of Chile in the semi-finals in Buenos Aires last Saturday and has not won an ATP title since his stunning Wimbledon win over Novak Djokovic last July.
Hopes that he could start to turn things around in Rio – where he won the trophy in 2022 and was runner-up to Britain’s Cameron Norrie last year – were quickly dashed.
He and 117th-ranked Brazilian Monteiro were two points into the match when Alcaraz’s right foot got stuck in the red clay surface at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, where the start of play was delayed three hours due to rain.
The day’s four tennis matches were postponed until Wednesday and the first players to take to the courts on Tuesday played in foggy conditions.
By the time Alcaraz and Monteiro came face to face, it was clear and Alcaraz said that court conditions were not to blame.
“These things happen, even more so on clay,” Alcaraz said.
“It was not a problem with the court, I got hurt while changing direction and that happens on this type of surface,” said the Spaniard, who was slow to get up after a hard fall, standing limp in his chair. There was a towel on his face before the trainer arrived.
Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero watched with concern from the stands as Alcaraz, with a sincere smile and a slight limp, returned to action and won the opening game.
But after losing his serve in the second he opted not to continue.
“It’s really sad to win like this, because I know how hard every player works to prepare for such a big tournament,” Monteiro said.
“I just wish him a speedy recovery, that it’s nothing serious or it won’t affect his season,” said the 29-year-old left-hander, who improved to 2-0 against Alcaraz, who was He defeated in the round of 16 of Melbourne-1 in 2021.
The injury comes as Italy’s Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ascends to the world number two ranking in Alcaraz.
Alcaraz leads Sinner – who won the Rotterdam title on Sunday – by just 535 points and has 1,000 points to defend at the prestigious hardcourt tournament in Indian Wells, California, next month.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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