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Martina Navratilova has no doubt about Carlos Alcaraz’s quick recovery after the ankle injury he suffered at the 2024 Rio Open.
Alcaraz was recently in action at the ongoing Rio Open, where he was defending his runner-up finish from last year. His run, however, came to an abrupt halt when he rolled his ankle in the opening game of his first-round match against local Thiago Monteiro on Tuesday, February 20.
The Spaniard was visibly in pain but initially continued with the match. With his ankle swollen, he chose to retire after the second game, with the score reading 1-1.
Following the injury, concerns were raised over Carlos Alcaraz’s on-court future by the tennis world. Several fans wished the World No. 2 a speedy recovery. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, too, shared some optimistic words about Alcaraz’s successful tennis return.
"He will be ok soon. No doubt about it," she wrote on X.
Over the years, Navratilova has keenly followed Carlos Alcaraz’s tennis journey and his rise to the top. After winning the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, the 20-year-old had revealed that the nine-time tournament champion had given him some noteworthy tips which contributed to his triumph.
Carlos Alcaraz on his ankle injury at Rio Open 2024: "Well, it was bad"
Carlos Alcaraz addressed his ankle injury in the press conference at the Rio Open following his mid-match retirement. The Spaniard conveyed that he would be getting tests done to check if the injury is serious.
"I don’t know yet, that’s the truth. Tomorrow, I have the test of my ankle and let’s see if it’s something serious or not. I mean the physios told me that they think it’s not too serious," Carlos Alcaraz said.
He also revealed that he was in pain after he fell down injured and explained his decision to retire.
"Well, it was bad, it was bad because I felt bad. That was the first impression that I had. I was feeling pain once I fell down," Alcaraz said.
"I thought it was going to be difficult to continue the match. The physio told me that let’s continue a few games and let’s see what’s my feelings. I was feeling the pain. I couldn’t move well and that’s why I choose to retire," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz’s injury comes at a time when the World No. 2 is struggling with his on-court form. He has yet to reach a final since his 2023 Cincinnati Open defeat to Novak Djokovic, and hasn’t won a title since his Wimbledon triumph against the Serb in July last year. The Spaniard has racked up just six wins so far in 2024, alongside three losses.
Following his quarterfinal exit at the 2024 Australian Open, the World No. 2 failed to defend his title at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires. He was knocked out of the tournament by Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the semifinal.
He will now hope to recover in time for his highly-anticipated exhibition match against Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas on March 3. Alcaraz will then look to defend a staggering 1360 points at the Sunshine Double, having been crowned champion at Indian Wells and made the semifinals in Miami in 2023.
