Carlos Alcaraz interrupted his practice session 20 minutes early due to abdominal discomfort during preparations for the ATP Finals in Turin, according to tennisnet.com and LAOLA1.
The world number three walked off the court alongside Italian sparring partner Flavio Cobolli on Friday, raising immediate fitness concerns ahead of his opening round-robin match. Alcaraz is scheduled to face American Frances Tiafoe on Monday, November 16, in the Ivan Lendl group, leaving the Spaniard a narrow window for recovery.
Observers in Turin also noted a visible bandage wrapped around Alcaraz’s right knee. While LAOLA1 reported that the taping serves purely as a precautionary measure, the physical toll on the 23-year-old has drawn scrutiny following a heavy post-US Open match schedule.
Before the training interruption, Alcaraz and world number one Alexander Zverev delivered an extraordinary 34-point tiebreak during a practice session on Thursday, as detailed by Heute and Tennis World DE. Alcaraz secured the second-set tiebreak 18-16 after saving deficits, capping a sequence that Tennis TV described on X as one of the practice tiebreaks of the year.
Alcaraz arrives in Turin riding a wave of indoor hardcourt success, having captured back-to-back titles at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna and the Rolex Paris Masters. He remains undefeated on indoor hardcourts this season, establishing himself as a primary title contender at the Pala Alpitour.
Placed in the Ivan Lendl group, Alcaraz avoids a collision with top-seeded rivals from the opposing bracket until the knockout rounds. His group features Tiafoe, Cobolli, and Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev stands out on paper as the toughest opening-phase test for the Spaniard. The Russian defeated Alcaraz earlier in the season at Indian Wells before falling to him during the recent Vienna tournament.
Meanwhile, the John McEnroe group features Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, and Rafael Jódar. Zverev enters the tournament hunting for his third ATP Finals crown following previous triumphs in 2018 and 2021.
Alcaraz enters this year’s championships seeking his maiden title at the season-ending event. Last year, he reached the final before losing to Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who misses the 2026 edition due to injury.
With opening matches set to begin on Sunday, November 15, tournament officials and medical staff have not yet issued an official bulletin regarding the severity of Alcaraz’s abdominal issue. Alcaraz opens his campaign against Tiafoe on Monday, November 16.
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