Alcaraz: "I will recover to defend my title in Indian Wells"
World number two Carlos Alcaraz has affirmed that the ankle sprain that forced him out of the Rio ATP Open will sideline him for "a few days," but he will be ready to defend his title in Indian Wells after an exhibition against Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas.
"I just had an MRI of my ankle after yesterday's injury," Alcaraz wrote on Instagram. "After a meeting with my doctor and physiotherapists, the diagnosis is a grade II lateral sprain."
"I have a sprain that will prevent me from playing for a few days! See you in Las Vegas and Indian Wells!"
Alcaraz injured himself on the second point of his first-round match against Brazilian wild card Thiago Monteiro, his right foot getting caught in the red carpet of the Brasiliero Jockey Club.
Following a rough fall, he limped to his chair, where during a medical timeout, a physio tapped his swollen right ankle. He came back to win the first interrupted game, but after losing his service in the second, he decided to quit.
At his post-match press conference, Alcaraz said the physiotherapists signaled that the injury was "not serious," and that additional tests on Wednesday confirmed this.
He still intends to play an exhibition match for Netflix on March 3rd in Las Vegas against Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments.
This encounter, which will be disputed at Mandalay Bay Resort's Michelob Ultra Arena, is part of Nadal's comeback to the courts after nearly a year's absence due to injury.
At Indian Wells, the main draw will begin on March 6th, where all seeds gain a pass for the first round.
Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev 6/3, 6/2 in the finals to win the title in the California desert last year and reclaim the world number one spot.
He became the youngest male world number one after winning the US Open at 19 in 2022, but his 2022 season was cut short by an abdominal tear at the Paris Masters in November of the same year, and he missed the 2023 Australian Open due to a hamstring injury sustained in training.
Last April, the 20 year-old player also had to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters due to back problems and arthritic pain in his left hand, but he won his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July.
Alcaraz's latest injury comes as Australian Open Italian champion Jannik Sinner comes closer to the world number two spot.
Alcaraz leads Sinner - who won the Rotterdam title on Sunday - by only 535 points and has 1,000 points to defend in Indian Wells.
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