world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will not play for the rest of the season, skipping the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals. The 19-year-old Spaniard injured his left abdominal wall during the Paris Masters quarterfinal against Holger Rune, retiring in the closing stages of the second set and returning to Spain.
After further checks, Alcaraz revealed an abdominal muscle injury that will take four to six weeks to heal, sidelining the youngest world number one. 1 of the upcoming tournaments. Carlos claimed his first Major crown at the US Open and became world no.
1 the next day. The Spaniard hasn’t played so well since then, reaching the Basel semi-final and the Paris Masters quarter-final before shutting down his engines.
Carlos Alcaraz will not play in the ATP Finals.
Carlos had two wins in Paris and battled his contemporary Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.
The Dane claimed the first set 6-3, and they went neck-and-neck in set number two. Alcaraz created his first break chance in game eight with a strong comeback. Rune saved her with a service winner before facing the second. He denied it with a forehand and volley winner and kept it 4-4.
Carlos kept a clean sheet in game 11 for 6-5, but called a coach after injuring his left abdominal muscle. Unable to serve or move properly, the Spaniard retired after falling 3-1 in the tiebreak to push his contemporary into the last four.
Alcaraz started the season outside the top 30 and found himself in the top 10 by the end of April. Carlos won Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Barcelona to enter the elite group before his 19th birthday. Alcaraz was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros and lost back-to-back clay-court finals in late July.
He was the fourth seed at the US Open, with a chance of taking the ATP throne. Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev both suffered early losses, with Alcaraz surviving a pair of challenging encounters to stay in the title race. He defeated Frances Tiafoe in the semi-final and ousted contender for the ATP throne Casper Ruud in the title clash to become the youngest Major champion since Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros 2005.
Carlos is 1000 points ahead of Rafa in the ATP Race and looks good to end the year as the leading player despite missing the ATP Finals.
