Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022 Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his third round match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022 Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his third round match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Carlos Alcaraz has been a revelation of sorts over the last season. The Spanish teenager has risen through the ranks swiftly. His breakthrough came at the US Open last year. In the year-ending Grand Slam, the 18-year-old managed a quarterfinal finish. Unfortunately, he had to retire midway through the second set in the last-eight clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime. However, his run enabled him to enter the top-50 in the ATP rankings.
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The Spaniard won his second ATP title in Brazil last week. But he had a piece of discouraging news following his victory.
Carlos Alcaraz suffers an injury setback
The 18-year-old was due to play in Acapulco, Mexico after the Rio Open. However, he has pulled out from the tournament due to discomfort in his right elbow. The teenager will now return to his homeland where he’ll aim to make a comeback from the injury for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Romania early next month.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in action during his third round match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Carlos Alcaraz had a hectic schedule in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had to play back-to-back matches, including the quarterfinals and the semifinals on the same day. Thus, it was ideal for him to rest sufficiently ahead of the Davis Cup commitments, and not aggravate the discomfort in the right elbow. The Spaniard is replaced by lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.
Alcaraz’s 2022 season
The 18-year-old has had a good start to this season. He began this year’s campaign at the Australian Open. However, he couldn’t proceed beyond the third round, where he lost to the Italian Matteo Berrettini in a five-setter thriller.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in action during his third round match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Further, in his next tournament, the Rio Open, he avenged his Australian Open defeat and took down Berrettini in the quarterfinals. He marched on to defeat Fabio Fognini in the semifinals and the third seed, Diego Schwartzman, in the finals to claim his second ATP title. His victory in Rio enabled him to enter the top-20 of the ATP rankings.
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Can the rising Spaniard be the ‘Player to watch out for’ this season? Let us know your views in the comments below.
