Carlos Alcaraz has suffered two injuries in the space of three months and will be forced to miss the Australian Open. The current world number one suffered an abdominal problem during the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 last November and ended his 2022 tennis career early. The Spaniard had to give up both the ATP Finals – it was his first qualification for the Masters Tournament – and the Davis Cup. After overcoming his abdominal problem just before arriving in Melbourne, Alcaraz stopped again during his last training session. When trying to recover a short ball, the Murcian talent injured the semimembranosus muscle in his right leg. The stoppage will seriously jeopardize his classification. Alcaraz will lose the 90 points he won in 2022 by reaching the third round at the Australian Open and, in order not to relinquish the top of the world rankings, he will have to hold on to the results of his three direct rivals: Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard would remain number one in the event that Ruud does not reach the final and a player other than Tsitsipas and Djokovic win the tournament. Alcaraz has begun a tough rehabilitation and he is expected to return to the courts at the ATP 250 tournament in Buenos Aires. Martín Jaite, director of the Argentina Open, revealed what Alcaraz’s agenda will be. “I have always had a very good relationship with the agents of the Spanish tennis players. I know almost all of them from having lived in Spain. Last summer I held conversations with Albert Molina and Carlos Costa and I told them that we would be delighted to receive Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in Argentina”, Jaite explained in words collected by the newspaper La Nación.
Shang Juncheng praises Alcaraz
Shang Juncheng stated that he looks up to and feels inspired by World No. 1 and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. “Yeah, I mean, after hearing this I think it’s quite a big accomplishment. Looking up to Carlos, he’s one of, I mean, he’s the best player in the world right now. I mean, just watching him play on the court really inspires me, inspires the young, young players. So to do this, it’s very special for me,” Juncheng said. “I think overall this whole week was different for me, playing my first slam, every day I was pretty nervous getting on the court. But at the same time, it’s one of the best moments I have had so far in my career, so I’m like I said, I’m just very excited to be on the court, and everything is a learning process for me. I’m just super happy to be here,” he added.
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