Carlos Alcaraz, the world number two and top seed at the Rio Open, had his hopes of winning the ATP 500 event dashed by a freak ankle injury in the first round. The Spaniard was facing local favourite Thiago Monteiro when he twisted his right ankle on the second point of the match, falling to the ground in agony.
Alcaraz, who had won the Australian Open and Rotterdam titles earlier this year, showed his fighting spirit by returning to the court with his ankle heavily taped. He even managed to break Monteiro’s serve in the next game, but it was clear that he could not move freely or play his best tennis. He decided to retire after losing his own serve, handing Monteiro a 2-0 victory.
Alcaraz said he does feel pain when he walks and that he will have medical scans on Wednesday.
“I came back to the game to see whether I could carry on or not. I spoke to the physio on the court and we decided together I should continue to see if this would get better. It didn’t happen, so we chose to be careful and abandon due to precaution,” he said.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz was visibly disappointed and frustrated by his misfortune, as he had high expectations for the clay-court season. He had reached the semi-finals of the French Open last year, losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-setter. He was also looking forward to challenging Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the only players ranked above him, in the upcoming Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
Monteiro, who advanced to the second round, expressed his sympathy for Alcaraz and wished him a speedy recovery. He said that he was looking forward to playing a competitive match against one of the best players in the world, but he understood that injuries are part of the sport. He also thanked the home crowd for their support and said that he would try to make them proud in his next match.
