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Carlos Alcaraz injured his right ankle during his first-round game at the Rio Open 2024. Alcaraz started his campaign against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro in the evening session on Tuesday, February 21. He, however, put himself in jeopardy moments into the match as he rolled his ankle on the second point itself.
The Spaniard continued to play after receiving medical treatment but gave up soon due to the unbearable discomfort. He shook hands with Monteiro at 1-1 and hobbled out of the claycourt at Jockey Club Brasileiro.
A few hours later, the 20-year-old was recorded stopping for selfies with a couple of his fans while limping all through. The recording was recently posted on Reddit by a user.
Alcaraz's choosing to not let the people waiting for him down despite the physical suffering has invoked varied reactions from tennis fans on Reddit. One fan claimed that the youngster's gesture was the finer version of similar manners Rafael Nadal used to exhibit.
"Carlos is so abnormally nice it's actually insane. Nadal was similar but it seemed a little forced but Carlos just takes it to the next level," the fan wrote.
A second fan, however, was not too pleased with the visuals.
"Omg let him rest people," the fan said.
A third fan took a playful dig a the people asking Alcaraz for a photograph, writing:
"Carlitos might be a little too nice. Someone should have gotten in there for him and shooed these people away. Not the right time for fan photos. Of course it’s easy for me to say this since I wasn't anywhere near him."
Here are a few more reactions:
Carlos Alcaraz earned his first ATP Tour win at Rio Open 2020
Carlos Alcaraz notably earned his first win on the ATP Tour at the Rio Open in the year 2020. He received a wildcard entry into the main draw and defeated seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(2) in the first round. He, however, lost in the second round to Federico Coria.
The Rio Open was not held the following year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Alcaraz returned to the ATP 500 event in 2022 and went all the way to lift the trophy. He defeated Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in the final.
In 2023, Carlos Alcaraz landed in Rio to defend his title. The top seed just about succeeded in his quest as he lost to Britain's Cameron Norrie in the final 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.
