Carlos Alcaraz is 21 years old and has a medical history issue | Relief

Rupture of the internal oblique muscles of the lateral abdominal wall. left, rupture of the semimembranosus right leg, hamstring strain, post-traumatic arthritis a little in the left hand muscle discomfort in the spineinflammation in plantar fascia of the left footmuscle fatigue in the lumbar region, sprained my ankleinjury to the pronator teres muscle of the right hand and swelling of the same pronator.

This sounds like a veteran’s medical history, but the reality is that These are all the injuries – ten – that Carlos Alcaraz suffered. over the past 18 months, especially after he won the 2022 US Open to become the youngest number one ever. Since then, visits to the doctor have become more frequent than we would like, and The longest period of time he was injury-free was six months from April to October 2023..

The last physical setback, swelling of the pronator teres of the right arm. This will force him to miss the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome next week and call into question the physical condition in which he arrives at Roland Garros at the end of the month.

which starts on Sunday the 26th. Having missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona due to an injury to that same pronator, Alcaraz made an extra effort to defend his title at the Mutua Madrid Open.: He played with his right foot far from 100% and with a protective net on his arm and ended up losing to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

After the defeat, Alcaraz made it clear that he was not feeling well physically. “I haven’t played a challenging game in a while and woke up with pain all over my body, my forearm was there and it took its toll on me a bit.“, he told reporters before leaving the Caja Mágica and returning to Murcia, where this Friday he underwent a medical examination that ruled out his trip to Rome.

Tennis is one of the most difficult and physically demanding sports. Without going into too much detail, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev were forced out of Madrid this week due to injury, and this is a rare tournament where the entire top ten is present. Nevertheless, Alcaraz’s injuries begin to take on a disturbing tone. Ten injuries in 18 months is a lot for a tennis player who turns 21 on Sunday. In 2024, he has already missed four tournaments and in his debut was forced to withdraw from another (in Rio due to a sprained ankle).

The best pre-season of his life

These latest setbacks are particularly painful for Alcaraz after his response to Juan Carlos Ferrero’s slap in late 2023. “You have to train when you need to and have fun when you need to,” the coach said at the ATP Finals in Turin, “and you will have the best pre-season training of your life.” “Off the track I performed much better, which means I feel much better physically. All these injuries help me understand what I need to do better this year, how I need to work, rest, eat, how I need to do off the court.“Alcaraz himself said at the beginning of the year in Australia.

In order to improve your physical condition, Alcaraz has even made small changes to his team, and since March, strength and conditioning coach Alberto Liedo has accompanied him on every trip.. Before this, he only traveled with his physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno.

But after several months the situation has not changed compared to other seasons: there are still injuries. In the two years since his first Grand Slam, the Murcian has already missed five major tournaments – a major, three Masters 1000 and a Masters Cup – and several more ATP500 tournaments. To give an example that will help give context: Rafael Nadal missed seven major tournaments in his first four years among the elite.

Alcaraz understands that his body is maturing, adapting to the demands of the track., and does not place undue emphasis on the number of injuries. The good thing for Alcaraz is that The tennis player showed that it is not difficult for him to get into rhythm after injuries. This year, without advancing further, he won Indian Wells in his first tournament since spraining his ankle in Rio de Janeiro. AND Despite a history of injuries, he has not dropped from third in the world rankings since winning the 2022 US Open..