US Open
Alcaraz talks about his ankle: “Tomorrow or in two days I will be 100% again”
The Spaniard is confident that he will arrive in optimal conditions for his US Open debut
August 24, 2024
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz is aiming for his third consecutive major title after winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff
It was 12:25 on Saturday afternoon in New York when the alarm bells at the US Open went off: Carlos Alcaraz left the court after interrupting his practice with Francisco Cerúndolo due to a sprained ankle. Worries increased when his 1:00 p.m. practice session at an Arthur Ashe Stadium, packed with people waiting for him, did not take place.
Alcaraz himself was in charge of clarifying his situation in a press conference, his first in this edition of the American major. “I only stopped practicing as a precaution. I didn’t feel comfortable to continue,” said the Murcia native, No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“But I wasn’t worried about my participation, I was just upset because I didn’t want to stop practicing out of respect for Cerúndolo and because I don’t want to stop any training and I wanted to keep improving for the tournament.”
According to Carlitos, his right ankle, the same one he twisted in February against Thiago Monteiro in Rio de Janeiro causing his withdrawal, will not give him any problems for his debut on Tuesday against Australian Li Tu, who came from the qualifying round. It will be the first meeting between the two.
“It’s nothing serious. The ankle is fine, everything is under control, I think. But we’ll see throughout the day, when it gets colder, we’ll see how it reacts. I’ll be taking more care of myself these days, with more caution than necessary. It will just be a scare, and tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I’ll be 100% fit.”
It hasn’t been a lucky North American tour so far for Alcaraz, who is coming off a loss in his debut in Cincinnati against Gael Monfils. But the four-time Grand Slam champion has the highest expectations for this event, which he won in 2022 to claim his first title in this category.
“I’m working to give myself the opportunity to win these kinds of titles, to win as many as possible. I hope that the tally doesn’t stop at four and that I can keep adding to it,” says the Spaniard, who won the last two majors, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“My goal is to keep growing and win as many titles as I can. Djokovic has done this all his life: keep improving and giving his best, that’s why a lot of people admire him. We’re going to try to stop him from adding more. We’ll see. We have to keep on going.”
On Tuesday against Tu, Alcaraz is seeking his 60th Grand Slam victory and 15th consecutive Grand Slam match.
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/us-open-2024-media-day-alcaraz-sabado
