: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain practices forward of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart on August 23, 2024 in New York Metropolis. Jamie Squire/Getty Photos/AFP
NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz minimize brief a U.S. Open coaching session on Saturday after twisting his proper ankle however stated he isn’t apprehensive that it will likely be an issue for the yr’s final Grand Slam match.
“I feel it’s OK. I simply stopped my apply only for precaution,” stated 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 every thing goes to be worse.”
Alcaraz stated he didn’t suppose the damage would put his participation within the U.S. Open unsure. He was extra upset about dropping time on court docket 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 wish to cease any apply. I wish to apply, I wish to get higher, I wish to prepare for the match,” he stated, 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 can be showing in simply the second Grand Slam match of his profession.
For Alcaraz, the preparation has not been perfect. He performed just one match on a tough court docket 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 court docket, one thing he later apologized for on social media.
The shortage of hard-court work doesn’t concern Alcaraz, even when he did acknowledge he’d want to have had extra earlier than attending to New York.
In spite of everything, he famous, he didn’t play loads of matches on clay earlier than this yr’s French Open due to a lingering forearm challenge 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 wish to suppose that it’s going to be the identical (as) the earlier two Grand Slams,” he stated with a smile, “however I’m not apprehensive about not having too many matches on onerous 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 closing on the Paris Olympics three weeks in the past. The tears flowed after that one, and Alcaraz stated that day he felt dangerous for letting his nation down.
“It was a tough second to deal (with) for me,” Alcaraz stated Saturday. “However in entrance of me, I had a very good participant that was preventing 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 amazing achievement for me that I’ve to be pleased with. I’ll attempt to preserve going, attempt to be taught (from) this match. … The following necessary matches of my profession, I’m going to deal (with) another way, or a greater manner, than I did within the Olympics.”
