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Victor Petkov
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Alcaraz praises his physio for overcoming ankle injury in Tokyo
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The US Open champion managed to play his second-round game in Japan and won against Zizou Bergs

Carlos Alcaraz overcame his left foot injury to advance to the third round of the Japan Open in Tokyo, defeating Zizou Bergs despite heavy strapping and lingering discomfort.

The six-time Grand Slam champion worried his fans earlier in the week when he collapsed awkwardly during his first-round match against Sebastian Baez. For a brief moment, it appeared he might be forced to retire, but after a medical timeout, he carried on and secured a straight-sets victory. Even so, reports from Spain indicated he was still in pain the following day.

On Saturday evening Alcaraz walked onto the court with his left foot heavily taped. Early on, the Spaniard looked vulnerable, dropping two of the first three games to fall behind a break. But as the match went on, the Spaniard started to feel more comfortable and showed his famous resilience to win the game.

Right after the game, the 22-year-old was quick to thank his physiotherapist, Juanjo Moreno, for helping him recover in time to compete.

“It was tough, and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could,” Alcaraz said. “I have said it before, and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100 per cent. The work he has done for the ankle has been great. Sometimes I was worried about some movements, when I could feel the ankle, but in general I played some great tennis, a great match.”