Some background behind the injury that forced Carlos Alcaraz to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open has been revealed in Spain. The unfortunate incident occurred in one of Carlos’s last training sessions before flying to Melbourne.
Precisely the 19-year-old from Murcia was training with the very young American Darwin Blanch at the Juan Carlos Ferrero academy. The intensity was very high and Alcaraz looked in great shape, until he split to recover a short ball from Blanch.
The ATP No. 1 immediately felt a sharp pain and was dropped. Carlos should have stopped as a precaution, but he decided to keep reassuring his trainer. The scrimmage ended a few minutes later, but the pain persisted.
Subsequent tests revealed an injury to his right leg. It would not be too serious an injury, so much so that Alcaraz should recover in time for the ATP in Rio de Janeiro.
Carlos Alcaraz will not participate in the Australian Open 2023
For the second consecutive year, therefore, the Happy Slam will not be able to count on the number 1 in the world.
Last year it was Novak Djokovic who had to give up the first Slam of the season, thanks to the well-known soap opera that had caused his expulsion from the country. The Serb had paid for his choice not to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus, while Carlos had to resign due to an injury to his right leg.
The past few months have been difficult for the 19-year-old Spaniard, who was forced to miss the ATP finals and the Davis Cup final late last year due to an abdominal tear. Juan Carlos Ferrero’s player had started the preseason late compared to the rest of the players and had not played any official tournament before the Australian Open.
The young Iberian could lose the first position of the ATP ranking at the end of the Australian Open. Casper Ruud will only need to reach the final to become number 1, while Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas will necessarily have to win the tournament.
