Following his triumph over Zizou Bergs at the Japan Open, securing his spot in the next round, Carlos Alcaraz emphasized the pivotal role of his exceptional physical therapist in overcoming concerns related to an ankle issue.
Previously, the top-ranked player admitted to experiencing “fear” following an awkward landing during his initial match against Sebastian Baez on the preceding Thursday.
Nevertheless, the 22-year-old athlete from Spain displayed minimal signs of discomfort as he smoothly secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the unseeded Belgian player, Bergs. This win propelled him into a quarter-final showdown against Brandon Nakashima in Tokyo.
“I felt capable of performing, I’d say, in a typical manner,” Alcaraz stated. He recently clinched the US Open title last month.
“There was some unease regarding certain movements on the court where I could sense the ankle, but overall, I believe I delivered an excellent performance.
“I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll reiterate it – I am fortunate to have the world’s best physical therapist, someone I trust completely. The efforts he has dedicated to my ankle have been, in my opinion, truly remarkable.”
In other developments, Jannik Sinner, currently ranked second globally, faced a challenging three-set encounter against 23-year-old French qualifier Terence Atmane at the China Open. Sinner ultimately prevailed with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-0, advancing to the quarter-finals.
The Italian athlete, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the US Open final but secured victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier in the season, encountered some instability in the second set despite holding a lead on two separate occasions.
Atmane’s performance at the Cincinnati Masters in August, where he progressed to the semi-finals before losing to Sinner, stood out as one of the unexpected highlights of the season.
However, after forcefully earning his way to a decisive set in Beijing, he started contending with muscle cramps, allowing Sinner to comfortably navigate through the third set and secure a spot in the last-eight match against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary.
