After finishing as the runner-up to Cameron Norrie in last year’s tournament, the two-time Grand Slam champion had high hopes for another successful run at the ATP 500 event. Unfortunately, his campaign came to an abrupt end after only 18 minutes of play, with just two games completed. The unfortunate incident occurred during the second point of the match when Alcaraz tried to change direction after Monteiro returned the ball to his left. In a stroke of bad luck, the Spaniard’s right ankle became trapped in the clay, resulting in a severe ankle roll. The world No 2 immediately collapsed to the ground, clearly in pain. With the help of his opponent Monteiro, Alcaraz managed to make it back to his bench where he received treatment from ATP physio Alejandro Resnicoff, who carefully strapped his injured ankle. Despite the swelling, Alcaraz was told by the physio that the injury was not too serious and was advised to continue playing. However, the pain persisted, making it difficult for him to carry on. Alcaraz made the decision to retire from the match with the score tied at 1-1. Leaving the court without crutches, he limped his way out and eventually departed in a golf cart. Alcaraz’s next scheduled event is an exhibition match against Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas on March 3, followed by the Indian Wells Open where he is the defending champion. With just over two weeks to recover from his ankle injury, he will need to regain his fitness before the ATP Masters 1000 tournament begins on March 6. In 2024, Alcaraz has yet to reach a final, falling to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and suffering a surprise defeat to Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open last week.
According to the Source tennis365.com