Follow usWorld number two Carlos Alcaraz is set to undergo tests on his ankle after suffering an injury that led to his retirement from the Rio Open first-round match against Thiago Monteiro on Tuesday.
Alcaraz faced a medical timeout after twisting his right ankle on the second point of the contest. Despite returning to the court with heavy strapping, the 20-year-old played through the pain, breaking Monteiro’s serve. However, he eventually retired after being broken in the next game, concluding the match with a 1-1 score.
Speaking to reporters, Alcaraz expressed his concern about the injury, stating, “Tomorrow I’ll have a test for my ankle, and let’s see if it’s something serious or not. I felt bad. That was the first impression I had. I was feeling pain once I fell down, so I thought it was going to be difficult to continue if I was still having those feelings.”
“After a few points, it didn’t feel better. I couldn’t move well, and I knew that it was going to be impossible to continue. I thought it was going to get worse if I kept playing for such a long match, and that’s why I chose to retire.”
Alcaraz, the top seed, had previously won the Rio title in 2022 and was the runner-up last year. He arrived in Rio after reaching the semi-finals of the Buenos Aires Open, where he lost to Nicolas Jarry. Despite the setback, Alcaraz confirmed earlier on Tuesday that he would participate in the Queen’s Club Championships before defending his Wimbledon title in July. The two-time major champion is hopeful to recover in time to defend his Indian Wells title next month.
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