Fans of Carlos Alcaraz will be able to breathe a sigh of relief following his injury update. The World No. 2 began his Rio Open campaign against home favourite Thiago Monteiro, when apparent disaster struck just two games into the contest.
The Spaniard lost his footing on the clay and rolled over on his ankle, which prompted the appearance of the trainer. The 20-year-old was in agony when being treated by the medical staff, as images captured the significant swelling on his ankle.
When Alcaraz was deemed unable to continue, he was helped off the court as the crowd watched on in disbelief. It appeared that the Wimbledon champion might be on the sidelines for an extended period, but he took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to confirm he would be back on the tennis court sooner rather than later.
“I just had an MRI on my ankle after yesterday’s injury,” Alcaraz wrote. “After the meeting with my doctor @drlopezmartinez and my physiotherapists @juanjo_moreno_m and @sergiokine the diagnosis is a 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 is set to compete against compatriot Rafael Nadal in an exhibition match called ‘The Netflix Slam’ in Las Vegas on March, 3. “I’m honored and so happy to be sharing the court with Rafa in Las Vegas,” the youngster said about the event in December 2023 that will be streamed live on Netflix.
“He’s an all-time great, of course, and his records and achievements speak for themselves. Rafa also is one of the nicest guys on Tour and I look forward to our match on March 3.” Alcaraz also confirmed his appearance at the Indian Wells Masters, which will commence shortly after the Las Vegas exhibition match.
The former World No. 1 is the defending champion having won the title in the Californian desert for the first time in 2023. After not playing since January’s Brisbane International due to injury, Nadal plans to make his return at the Indian Wells Masters, an event he has won three times in the past.
His most recent appearance at the tournament was in 2022 when he reached the final before losing to Taylor Fritz. Novak Djokovic, a four-time Indian Wells champion who has not played since the Australian Open, is scheduled to make his return to the event for the first time since 2019.
The Serbian has won the Masters 1000 event on five occasions, with the most recent win coming in 2016. He defeated Nadal on the way to winning his last title there, which was his third straight victory at the event. He shares the record with Roger Federer for the most Indian Wells title wins.
