Carlos Alcaraz has already made a name for himself in men’s tennis after winning two Grand Slams before turning 21.
Unsurprisingly, the 20-year-old has already been regarded as the one to lead men’s tennis forward after the expected departure of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz has recently struggled with a forearm injury, which also caused him to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.
The current world number three returned to the court in Madrid, where his journey ended when he lost to Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the quarter-final on Wednesday.
Despite the loss, Alcaraz showed signs of his trademark resilience and determination and managed to push Rublev to the third set.
Carlos Alcaraz remains optimistic of playing in Rome
Although the result on the day was a poor one for Alcaraz, the good news is that he is still very optimistic about playing in Rome next week.
“Well, I have to keep going,” he said while talking in the press conference after the match. “I have to work hard these days if I want to go to Rome with good feelings, without pain, without thinking about my forearm, but it’s gonna be a slow process, I guess.
“I have to be patient in that way. it was difficult feelings, let’s say, at the end of the match. But the point is that I’m gonna go to Rome. I’m going to work these days to be close to 100% or in a good way to play in Rome, but I’m gonna decide in the next coming days.”
Fitness a must for Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz’s talent has been unquestionable since he became the world number one last year at the age of 19.
He lived up to the hype and expectations after beating the reigning world number one Djokovic in a five-set memorable final at Wimbledon in 2023.
Even though things have not gone as planned recently, that has not taken away the fact that he is still one of the most sought-after players in men’s tennis, along with Djokovic and Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
After already missing two events because of a forearm injury recently, his admission about still feeling discomfort in the aftermath of his Madrid Open exit could concern some fans.
Roland Garros is now only a few weeks away and it would seem prudent for the young Spaniard to avoid taking any risks before the second slam of the year.
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