Tennis
Carlos Alcaraz sparks growing fears over health at 2024 ATP Finals
A struggling Alcaraz was beaten in straight sets by Casper Ruud in his opening round-robin match on Monday.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprise straight-sets defeat to Casper Ruud at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday, with the Norwegian confessing that he had played on the Spaniard’s current health issues to secure a round-robin victory.
What health problems is Carlos Alcaraz dealing with?
“I knew he was maybe dealing with a bit of a cold,” Ruud said after defeating the world No 3. “I’ve seen him snuffling around in the area here and always with a tissue for his nose.
“Of course, that’s sad, that’s not good for him, but it’s also part of the game and I knew it coming in. I tried to make him play rallies and do my best but it’s not easy because, when you know someone is not 100%, maybe you get stressed yourself, thinking this is a really big chance for me to maybe win.”
On Sunday, Alcaraz had been seen training wearing nose strips, designed to help combat breathing difficulties he has been experiencing as a result of said cold. Additionally, the 21-year-old has also suffered stomach problems as a side effect of medication he has been taking.
Alcaraz abandons training session: will he play against Andrey Rublev?
On Tuesday, things got worse still for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who was only able to train for 10 minutes before traipsing off court. Which begs the question: will Alcaraz be ready to face Andrey Rublev in his second match in the John Newcombe Group on Wednesday (8am ET)?
“When he tries to move a little, he has difficulty breathing, his chest tightens up a bit”, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach, told the Spanish press. “It’s a bad time to get sick. But I don’t think we should get ahead of ourselves (related to forfeiting the Rublev match).
“We’ve all played when we haven’t been feeling well. I guess Carlos will do it tomorrow, like a lot of others have done. I don’t think it’ll get so bad that he won’t make it onto the court.”
Alcaraz must beat Rublev in ATP Finals
Despite Ferrero’s optimism, there appears to be little chance of Alcaraz being 100% for Wednesday’s match, which he must win to be in with a chance of finishing in the top two in the group and progressing to the semifinals.