: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain practices forward of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle on August 23, 2024 in New York Metropolis. Jamie Squire/Getty Photographs/AFP
NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz lower quick a U.S. Open coaching session on Saturday after twisting his proper ankle however mentioned he isn’t frightened that it will likely be an issue for the 12 months’s final Grand Slam match.
“I feel it’s OK. I simply stopped my apply only for precaution,” mentioned the 21-year-old from Spain, who received the championship at Flushing Meadows in 2022 for the primary of his 4 main trophies. “I didn’t really feel comfy sufficient to maintain practising, simply in case if the whole lot goes to be worse.”
Alcaraz mentioned he didn’t suppose the harm would put his participation within the U.S. Open doubtful. He was extra upset about shedding time on courtroom as he will get able to attempt to win what can be a 3rd consecutive Slam title after triumphs on the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July.
“I don’t need to cease any apply. I need to apply, I need to get higher, I need to prepare for the match,” he mentioned, including: “I’m positive that tomorrow, or in two days, I’m going to be at 100%, for positive.”
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The third-seeded Alcaraz is scheduled to play his first-round match Tuesday night time in Arthur Ashe Stadium in opposition to 188th-ranked Australian Li Tu, who will likely be showing in simply the second Grand Slam match of his profession.
For Alcaraz, the preparation has not been splendid. He performed just one match on a tough courtroom within the leadup to the U.S. Open — a loss to Gael Monfils on the Cincinnati Open throughout which Alcaraz destroyed his racket by repeatedly hitting it in opposition to the courtroom, one thing he later apologized for on social media.
The dearth of hard-court work doesn’t concern Alcaraz, even when he did acknowledge he’d desire to have had extra earlier than attending to New York.
In spite of everything, he famous, he didn’t play quite a lot of matches on clay earlier than this 12 months’s French Open due to a lingering forearm situation and solely performed two on grass earlier than Wimbledon — and left each of these occasions because the champion.
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“I don’t need to suppose that it’s going to be the identical (as) the earlier two Grand Slams,” he mentioned with a smile, “however I’m not frightened about not having too many matches on laborious courts.”
Alcaraz additionally mirrored on his most up-to-date high-profile contest: a two-tiebreaker loss to Novak Djokovic within the males’s singles ultimate on the Paris Olympics three weeks in the past. The tears flowed after that one, and Alcaraz mentioned that day he felt dangerous for letting his nation down.
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“It was a troublesome second to deal (with) for me,” Alcaraz mentioned Saturday. “However in entrance of me, I had a very good participant that was combating for a similar factor as me. And he deserve it. So days after the Olympics, I noticed that I received the silver medal. It was an ideal achievement for me that I’ve to be happy with. I’ll attempt to preserve going, attempt to be taught (from) this match. … The subsequent necessary matches of my profession, I’m going to deal (with) another way, or a greater manner, than I did within the Olympics.”
