Carlos Alcaraz says he feels “fear” after winning his ankle in the first round of the Japan Open
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz said he was “feared” after being injured in the first round victory at the Tokyo Japan Open on Thursday.
Top seed Alcaraz twisted his left ankle with Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, with a first-dish level of 2-2 and had to undergo physiology and heavy bundle treatment.
He returned to the court and broke Baz to lead 5-4, but his team seemed to stop at this point to indicate that he stopped and then was paused during the game and rained, causing another delay.
When Alcaraz won the U.S. Men’s Open earlier this month, while Baez reappeared under the roof, the Spaniard took over the rest of the game and won the game 6-4 6-2.
“I’m also scared, I won’t lie,” said six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.
“When I landed on my ankle, I was worried to be honest because it didn’t feel good at the beginning. I was so happy to play and play such a great tennis ball after that. Let’s see.
“I don’t think the next day will be easy for me. I’ll try to recover and do anything to prepare for the next round.”
Alcaraz faces Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the second round on Saturday.
