Not least after his victory at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz is considered the next big tennis promise.
But in recent weeks and months, the young man from Spain has suffered a number of injury-related setbacks. He recently canceled his participation in the tournament in Monte Carlo.
He cited his health as the reason. Accordingly, his doctor found that he had “post-traumatic arthritis in his left wrist and muscle problems in his spine,” as he himself wrote on Twitter.
It’s the next setback for Alcaraz, who struggled with some of those after reaching the top of the world rankings last September.
Alcaraz misses Australian Open due to injury
At the beginning of November in Paris, for example, he tore a muscle in his left abdominal wall. The result: out of season and no participation in the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup final.
After his rehabilitation, he prepared for the new season with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in Spain. After all, ideally the shooting star wanted to win the next Grand Slam title in Australia.
However, things turned out differently. In final training he injured his right leg in a match against the American Darwin Blanch when he tried to reach a stop ball.
The Spaniard immediately felt the pain but, according to consistent media reports, wanted to continue playing. Then the shock after the game: muscle injury in the thigh – participation in the Australian Open was unthinkable.
Alcaraz wants to do it like Djokovic and Nadal
Alcaraz only started his tennis year in mid-February. In Buenos Aires he presented himself in strong form and promptly won his first title of the new calendar year.
For himself it was a “surprise”, but at the same time it was the result of his observation of his big rivals. “I look at the big players, Djokovic or Rafa, how they come back from an injury,” he said in an interview with the news agency Reuters and added: “That motivated me.”
A little later he almost won the next title in Rio de Janeiro, but failed in the final after a hard fight against Cameron Norrie. The decisive factor for his first defeat in 2023 – how could it be otherwise – was another injury.
His right thigh muscle gave him trouble again. “That’s something to think about. I’ll discuss it with the physiotherapist and the doctor,” he announced in the press conference that followed.
However, he did not take a long break. Two weeks later he was back on the pitch in Indian Wells and stormed to the title and back to the top of the world rankings. However, he has now lost it again because he “only” made it to the semi-finals in Miami.
Does tennis destroy Alcaraz?
When looking at the possible causes of his muscular problems, the youngest number one in the tennis world has a theory. “The schedule is very demanding and I did my best for 15 days without resting a day,” he said in Rio de Janeiro.
It is difficult to take long breaks with minor injuries, as the players have to defend their points at the respective tournament year after year and protection in the event of an injury only occurs after a downtime of at least 30 days.
Alcaraz would have lost 1,360 points in the US Masters if he hadn’t played, dropping him to third place. His distance to the leader Novak Djokovic would now be almost 2,000 points.
Another reason sees one of his coaches Martinez Cascales Eurosport In it: “For me, the first explanation is his very explosive style of play, which is often excessive in terms of the number of balls he is chasing in a rally. It’s something that even happens in training.”
The ex-player would take it easy on his comeback than his protégé does. However, this fast-paced game is “a very important quality” for Alcaraz, which has made it successful.
Alcaraz: Nalbandian as a cautionary tale
That’s why the team from the man from the south-east of Spain is analyzing the situation carefully. After all, they want to prevent as much as possible that he meets the same fate as David Nalbandian once did.
The Argentinian was considered enormously talented at a young age and was already in the Wimbledon final at the age of 21. Nalbandian was even more successful than Federer when he was young.
But early on he was plagued by numerous injuries such as an abdominal muscle injury. In 2013, numerous treatments ultimately forced him to retire.
The reflective nature of Alcaraz gives cause for hope. “As I analyzed the situation with my team, we came to the conclusion that it’s important to do the right thing off the pitch and I haven’t always done that 100 per cent. I’m talking about breaks, supplements, good food, etc. There were a number of things that I may not have been doing right,” he wrote in a post for Eurosport.
That’s why he now wants to “return to his routine” to find his top form again. It’s about time, after all, his body has already sent him the first warning signals.
