Carlos Alcaraz explains latest injury scare after calling physio at Barcelona Open | Tennis | Sport
Carlos Alcaraz had his wrist bandaged up by the physio towards the end of set one (Image: Tennis TV)
Carlos Alcaraz made his Barcelona Open debut on Tuesday, just 48 hours after losing in the Monte Carlo Masters final. It was a tight turnaround for the world No. 2, who is planning to play a full clay schedule, and all of the tennis appeared to take a toll as Alcaraz called the physio during the end of the first set of his match against Otto Virtanen.
The Spaniard had his wrist massaged and then bandaged up by the physio before going on to claim a 6-4 6-2 victory. But there’s still a lot of tennis to be played for Alcaraz, who also intends to compete in the Madrid Open and Italian Open before Roland Garros, and the 22-year-old has now given an update on his wrist.
“These are minor discomforts that have surfaced given the limited recovery time I’ve had, due to some unusual movements. I was more relaxed in the second set,” Alcaraz told Spanish media after reaching the second round.
“Juanjo, my physiotherapist, will see me, but these are discomforts I’ve had before, and they didn’t get any worse. My goal is to be in the best possible condition for Thursday’s match.”
While Alcaraz was receiving a medical timeout at 5-4 in the first set on Tuesday, commentators speculated whether he was pushing himself so he could compete on home soil in Spain.
“You get the sense that, if this event wasn’t in Spain, with Madrid and Rome coming up, would he play here this week? Hard to know. Only he can answer that, right. But it’s obviously a big one for him, here in Barcelona with the history of all the players that have won here,” Nick Lester said as the physio massaged Alcaraz’s wrist.
“It’s one of those things we won’t know the answer to. Of course, he’s getting substantial appearance fee here as well, we know that. That’s the way it is.”
Carlos Alcaraz still came through to win his opening match at the Barcelona Open (Image: Getty)
Barry Cowan replied: “I think it’s a fair point, Nick. I really do. And that’s important for anyone who doesn’t know that. You don’t receive an appearance fee for the Masters, but you do for the 500s and the 250s.”
Lester continued: “And you have to play four 500s. If you’re in the top 30 at the end of the year, you have to play four 500s, one after the US Open, to contribute towards your ranking. That’s how your ranking works.” And Cowan added: “So if you’re looking at those 500s, if you’re Alcaraz, this is the perfect one to play.”
Ahead of the tournament, the two-time former champion said he would take things day by day and see how his body felt during the long European clay swing. “I’ll take it one day at a time, listening to my body and my team,” Alcaraz explained. “From there, I’ll make the best possible decision. For now, we’re excited and eager to do everything we can to endure the entire clay court season.”
Alcaraz faces a tough test on Thursday as he takes on Tomas Machac for a place in the quarter-finals. Czech star Machac took a set off Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo last week, and is the only man to have won a set against Sinner in the last four Masters 1000 tournaments. The world No. 47 also won his last match against Alcaraz at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
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