Carlos Alcaraz is on the verge of ending his season in despair. After winning the China Open at the beginning of October, things have gone downhill for the Spaniard. To top it all, he suffered a shock defeat in his opening group game of the ATP Finals against Casper Ruud.
Illness was cited as the main reason for that underwhelming 1-6, 5-7 loss. And it seems that his health hasn’t gotten any better. Alcaraz’s practice session on Tuesday lasted a mere handful of minutes, raising concern over his participation against Andrey Rublev in the second group game on Wednesday. Providing an update on the same, well-known journalist Jose Morgado tweeted –
Carlos Alcaraz cancelled his practice session after 5 minutes earlier today but Juan Carlos Ferrero still believes he will play tomorrow.
He won’t be at 100%, though. https://t.co/uDt1baE3yU
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 12, 2024
It’s not an ideal way to prepare for an ATP Finals match. With eight of the best players participating, there will be no easy matches, as shown by his opener. Alcaraz had defeated the Norwegian four times in a row before losing in Turin. It clearly shows that even a slight dip in performance will be punished at this level.
It was obvious that Alcaraz’s loss on Monday was not his fault because he was nowhere near his 100%. Often putting a towel on his head, Alcaraz was also seen blowing his news on the sidelines, leaving his supporters worried. He apparently fell ill even before he got to Turin. Following his loss to Ruud, the Spaniard said:
“A few days before coming here, I got sick at home. And yeah, the days that I was practicing here, I was feeling okay. Not pretty good, but okay. I could play. But today I didn’t feel well. In this morning, I feel uncomfortable in the stomach. After long rallies today, I couldn’t feel well.”
It was evident in the way Alcaraz lost the first set. To be fair, the 21-year-old did put up a brave fight in the second despite not being fully fit. At one point, he was even leading 5-3 before Ruud won four on the bounce to seal the match. But the real question on many supporters’ minds is whether Alcaraz will be fit for his game on Wednesday.
Will Alcaraz be fit to play Rublev?
Alcaraz’s supporters would not find much comfort in what coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has to say about his health. The fact that he mentioned Alcaraz has “trouble breathing” has left a lot of tennis enthusiasts worried.
“As soon as he moves a little, he has trouble breathing. His chest is a little tight. A bad time to get sick. We must not anticipate whether he will play or not tomorrow. We have all played in these circumstances. I think he will not get to the point where he will not go on court. It will be difficult for him to be 100% tomorrow.”
With less than 24 hours left before his match on Wednesday, Alcaraz’s supporters will be praying for the 21-year-old to fully recover. However, it is concerning not having a complete practice session the day before facing the World No.8.
Even if Alcaraz recovers on time, will that be enough to keep his slim chances of qualifying from the group alive? Only time will tell. If Alcaraz is fit to play, fans can watch the match live on Wednesday at 8 AM EST.
