Carlos Alcaraz bites the towel because the pain is considerable. He sprained his right ankle almost on the first play and although he tries it a little, he can’t continue. The Murcian leaves with 1-1 in his debut at the ATP 500 in Rio, against Thiago Monteiro, and prepares for a few days of rest, with medical tests to find out the extent of that sprain, although already cold, his ankle swollen, He declares to the press that the tournament and ATP physios have told him “that it doesn’t seem like anything serious.” It is nothing serious, but it leaves him without a defined calendar ahead, since the injury puts on pause that match-show that is scheduled in Las Vegas on March 3 against Rafael Nadal, and a few days later the Masters 1,000 in Indian Wells . And he is nothing serious, but he interrupts again this American clay preseason and a start with several setbacks. An anomalous situation for the champion of two Grand Slams (US Open 2022 and Wimbledon 2023) who has already accustomed the staff to celebrating victory after victory. On these same dates in 2023, the Murcian had skipped the Australian Open due to injury, but he had already won the Buenos Aires title, and qualified for the last day of Rio de Janeiro, where a muscle problem and a willful Cameron Norrie took him out. they left without a prize. In 2024, Alexander Zverev dispatched him in the quarterfinals in Melbourne, and Nico Jarry, in the semifinals of the Argentine tournament. In Rio (where he achieved his first ATP victory in 2020, at the age of 16, against Albert Ramos), a sprained ankle. Related News standard No Paula Badosa bursts into tears after retiring in the first round in Dubai Azucena Pérez standard No Rafa Nadal, amateur golf champion of the Balearic Islands Javier Corcuera Leaves Alcaraz, therefore, defending the 300 points from last year’s final, and he is left with 8,805, which distances him from Novak Djokovic (9,855) and allows Jannik Sinner to get closer to his position (8,270). Just 535 points with the Italian, who has been infected with a virus of joy: one victory is followed by another. Alcaraz experienced it in 2022 (Rio, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid) and much of 2023. Sinner has taken over: Canada, Beijing, Vienna, final of the Masters Cup… He lost the final to Djokovic, and surpassed days later to bring the Davis Cup to Italy. And he guides 2024 to victory per match: twelve out of twelve, the seven at the Australian Open, his first Grand Slam, and the five this past week in Rotterdam. Sinner and Alcaraz live in different phases. All growth for the first, and a higher one, that of consolidation, for the Spanish. And it’s not easy to keep up. This is how Álex Corretja, former tennis player and commentator for Eurosport and now also on Movistar+, explains it to ABC: «Last year was very intense for him and I think that the fact of ending up winning Wimbledon was a very important victory, in addition to all the tournaments. , number 1… It was a very big change in his life. Like he took on another dimension, and it is to that dimension that I believe he is adapting. Both on and off the track. From now on, uncertainty in Alcaraz’s future, at the expense of the tests and the aforementioned exhibition match against Nadal in suspense (although doubts also come from the Balearic Islands, absent in the Doha tournament as he does not feel fully recovered and ready for the competition) and Indian Wells, where the Murcian also defends the 1,000 points from last year’s title. Beyond that, the semifinal in Miami (360), the 1,000 of the crown in Madrid and the 500 of the Conde de Godó. He does have Monte Carlo to add, since he did not play last year, and in Rome, after losing in the first round (45). In total, 2,905. This sweet Sinner is a good haul in danger, although he needs to confirm his growth on clay, since 11 of his 12 titles are on hard. So far, only one in the arena, in Umag, in 2022, against, precisely, Carlos Alcaraz. Until Paris, the one from San Candido defends the Indian Wells semifinals (360), the Miami final (600) and the Monte Carlo semifinals. But he can add a good handful of points from Barcelona (quarterfinals), Rome (eighth rounds); total: 1,410. However, Corretja is confident in the present and the future of the Murcian: «It seems to me that he is going to continue growing, I am convinced that this season is going to be excellent again, and I am not at all worried that he has suffered some defeats that, the best from the outside, they can attract attention. It seems to me that he will be ready when he needs it to succeed again. Alcaraz wants to right the wrong; Sinner approaches with a tailwind.
2024-02-21 18:38:44
#Alcaraz #slows #Sinner #presses
