Carlos Alcaraz makes smart decision at the Japan Open after injuring his ankle

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Carlos Alcaraz looked to be in real trouble during his first-round match at the Japan Open.

At two games all in the first set, Alcaraz went down with an ankle injury, and looked like he may be forced to retire from his match against Sebastian Baez.

Deciding to carry on, Alcaraz recovered to win in straight sets, booking his place in the second round, where he will play Belgium’s Zizou Bergs.

There was still a risk that Alcaraz would withdraw from the tournament, although he remains in the Tokyo draw for now.

In a bid to keep his title hopes alive, Alcaraz has just made a very smart decision at the Japan Open.

Carlos Alcaraz skips training ahead of Japan Open second round

Spanish media outlet Marca have reported that Alcaraz skipped training on Friday, instead choosing to rest his ankle.

Alcaraz’s physio, Juanjo Moreno, was the man who made the call, as the Spaniard looks to heal before Saturday’s second-round match.

The world number one has yet to meet Bergs on the ATP Tour, but will be more than aware of the threats he poses.

Bergs has played two tour-level finals this year, breaking into the world’s top 50 as a result.

• 2025 ASB Classic F – Zizou Bergs lost to Gael Monfils, 3-6, 4-6
• 2025 Libema Open F – Zizou Bergs lost to Gabriel Diallo, 5-7, 6-7

He has just one top ten win to his name, however, beating Andrey Rublev in Miami earlier this year.

Whether he can pick up the biggest win of his career against Alcaraz remains to be seen, but he will certainly have a better chance of doing so if the world number one is less than 100%.

Would it make sense for Carlos Alcaraz to withdraw from the Japan Open?

Ever the fighter, withdrawing from a tournament likely won’t be the appealing option for Alcaraz, even if it makes more sense long term.

He’d love to win the title on debut in Tokyo, but with a busy schedule planned for the rest of the year, is it really worth the risk?

After Tokyo, Alcaraz has four competitive events still to play: Shanghai, Paris, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup Finals.

He failed to win any of those titles 12 months ago and will want to perform better this time around.

The ATP Finals, in particular, is a title that Alcaraz would love to add to his resume, having struggled on Turin’s indoor hard courts during his career so far.

Carlos Alcaraz’s record at the ATP Finals

• 2022 – Missed due to injury
• 2023 – Lost in SF to Novak Djokovic
• 2024 – Knocked out in Group Stage

Alcaraz arrived in Turin under the weather last year, losing to Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev as he missed out on a place in the semis.

Hoping to avoid the same fate in 2025, Alcaraz will want to be fully fit for this year’s ATP Finals.

With that in mind, perhaps it would make sense for Alcaraz to cut his losses in Tokyo and withdraw from the event.

Only time will tell if Alcaraz chooses to withdraw, but for now, it looks like he will be playing Bergs in the second round on Saturday, September 27.