World number two Carlos Alcaraz says an ankle sprain that forced him out of the ATP Rio Open will keep him out for a “few days” but he will be back after an exhibition against Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas. Will be ready to defend his Indian Wells title. “I had an MRI on my ankle after my injury yesterday,” Alcaraz wrote on Instagram. “After meeting with my doctor and my physiotherapist the diagnosis is Grade II lateral sprain. “I have a sprain that will keep me out for a few days! See you in Las Vegas and Indian Wells!”
Alcaraz was injured on the second point of his first-round match against Brazilian wild card Thiago Monteiro, his right foot getting stuck on the red clay surface at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.
After a hard fall, he limped to his chair, where a trainer taped his swollen right ankle during a medical timeout. He bounced back after winning the disrupted opening game but decided to call it quits after losing his serve in the second game.
Alcaraz said in the post-match press conference that physiotherapists had indicated that the injury was “not serious” and that further tests on Wednesday had shown this.
He still intends to play against 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal in a Netflix exhibition on March 3 in Las Vegas.
The match at Mandalay Bay Resort’s Michelob Ultra Arena marks Nadal’s return to court after missing almost a year due to injury.
Main draw play begins on March 6 in Indian Wells, where all seeded players will receive a first-round bye.
Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 to win the title in the California desert last year and return to world number one.
He became the youngest male world number one in 2022 after winning the US Open at the age of 19, but his 2022 season was cut short when he suffered an abdominal injury at the Paris Masters in November of the same year and was forced to miss the 2023 Australian Open. Missed the open. Suffered hamstring injury during training.
The 20-year-old also withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters last April due to back problems and arthritis pain in her left hand, but won her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July.
Alcaraz’s latest injury comes as Italy’s Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner has fallen to the world number two ranking.
Alcaraz leads Sinner – who won the Rotterdam title on Sunday – by just 535 points and has 1,000 points to defend in Indian Wells.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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