Carlos Alcaraz’s participation in the Rio Open 2024 came to an unexpected halt in the first round due to an injury.
Alcaraz suffered a rolled right ankle on clay during the second point of his match against home-favorite Thiago Monteiro on Tuesday, February 20. Despite the setback, he managed to break Monteiro in the opening game and attempted to persevere.
However, Alcaraz faced immediate challenges in the second game as his movement on the court was hindered. Eventually, at 1-1 in the first set, he made the difficult decision to retire from the match, granting Monteiro an uncomplicated progression to the second round.
Following the match, Alcaraz provided an update on his injury to the media. Although the severity was yet to be determined, physiotherapists assured him that it wasn’t too grave.
“I don’t know yet, that’s the truth. Tomorrow, I have the test of my ankle and let’s see if it’s something serious or not. I mean the physios told me that they think it’s not too serious,” stated the 20-year-old.
Alcaraz immediately felt the discomfort upon rolling his ankle, acknowledging the intensity of the pain.
“Well it was bad, it was bad because I felt bad. That was the first impression that I had. I was feeling pain once I fall down,” he added.
Despite initially attempting to continue after a brief on-court medical assessment and consultation with the physio, Alcaraz struggled with movement and ultimately opted to withdraw from the match.
“I thought it was going to be difficult to continue the match. The physio told me that let’s continue a few games and let’s see what’s my feelings. I was feeling the pain. I couldn’t move well and that’s why I choose to retire,” explained Carlos Alcaraz.
