Carlos Alcaraz addressed his biggest fear on the tennis court.
Carlos Alcaraz opened up on his biggest fear in tennis (Image: Getty)
Carlos Alcaraz has shared his biggest fear on the tennis court ahead of the US Open.
Earlier this year, the Spaniard’s clay season was derailed by a forearm injury. He continued to compete wearing an arm sleeve when he returned at the French Open and won the tournament.
And the experience has since thrown Alcaraz, who is concerned about getting injured again
The 21-year-old has enjoyed an incredible summer, winning back-to-back Grand Slams at the French Open and Wimbledon before reaching the Olympics final and walking away with a silver medal.
But a few weeks before he lifted his third Major title in Paris, Alcaraz was doubting whether he’d be able to recover in time from a forearm injury that saw him skip tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome. Although he quickly got over it, the world No. 3 is wary of more physical setbacks.
Ahead of his opening match at the US Open, Alcaraz told SuperTennis TV: “What I fear most will always be injuries. Anything can happen, but we try to take care of ourselves to avoid it.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion has faced several issues in his young career. An abdominal tear cut his breakout 2022 season short and he missed the 2023 Australian Open with a leg injury. And earlier this year, he rolled his ankle minutes into his first-round match in Rio.
But it’s the forearm injury which has really thrown him. “The injury to my forearm worried me a lot, I didn’t know if I would recover well. I have managed to play again without fear, but anything can happen,” he added.
Alcaraz had another injury scare just days before the US Open. He appeared to roll his ankle during practice with Francisco Cerundolo and immediately cut the session short. But he quickly clarified that he had no concerns and would be able to compete as usual.
“You know, I just stop my practice just for precaution. I didn’t feel comfortable enough to keep practising just in case if everything is going to be worse,” he said. “I wasn’t worried at all for my US Open participation. Obviously I was angry because I don’t want to stop the practice, just to respect Cerundolo, as well.
“I don’t want to stop any practice. I want to practice, I want to get better, I want to get ready for the tournament. But honestly with the ankle, I wasn’t worried about that. So I’m sure that, you know, tomorrow or in two days I’m going to be my at 100 per cent, for sure. It’s about time.