World Number 2, Carlos Alcaraz faced Cameron Norrie on Sunday in their second final in as many weeks at the 2024 Rio Open. When the duo locked horns at the Argentina Open earlier this month, Alacarz pulled off a brilliant victory, but he couldn’t repeat the same in Rio. Norrie pulled off a sensational 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 victory to end Alcaraz’s hopes’ of equaling World Number 1 Novak Djokovic’s ranking points.
In their marathon clash, Alcaraz found himself surrounded by leg discomfort. Not just in that match, he struggled with the same throughout the tournament. The Rio Open was his second tournament since his comeback from the injury.
Owing to his facing problems during the matches, renowned sports journalist Steve Flink remarked that Alcaraz has to ponder over his tight schedule if he wants to keep injuries at a bay. Also Read: Nick Kyrgios Claims He Hasn’t Done Anything Crazy To Be Branded The “Bad Boy” Of Tennis
“We could tell (he) has hot an issue there, a serious issue- trying to play through it,” Flink said on the ‘Court-Side with Beillinson Tennis’ podcast. “Let’s just hope that Carlos is wise about his schedule for the next month.“
“I certainly hope he wouldn’t try to make this-three straight weeks and go on to Acapulco. That could be a dangerous move. I strongly suspect he will not make that mistake,” Flink added. Also Read: Andy Murray Saves 5 MPs To Defeat Lehecka, Reaches Qatar Open Final
Journalist sheds light on long-term danger Carlos Alcaraz might invite due to his jam-packed schedule
Alcaraz and his team were also slammed on social media for his jam-packed schedule in 2022. He pulled out of US Open due to injury, then went on to miss the Davis Cup final as well. Paris Masters and ATP Finals were the tournaments he failed to participate. And the recent event he did not play due to the injury was the 2024 Australian Open which also dethroned the 19-year-old from the top spot, which was later taken over by Djokovic when he won his record 22nd Grand Slam title.
The journalist then shed light on the long-term dangers if the 19-year-old overworks his body. “It isn’t even just a matter of Carlos thinking about this near-term, he has got to really pace himself through the years,” Flink said. “He’s had a lot of woes, you might say; A lot of issues with his body and he’s clearly a very fit, young man, but he’s gotta pace himself. And we want to see him around this game into his 30s like the three icons of this generation.”
Flink then asserted that Alacarz can only play for a longer period of time if he is willing to put down his racquet for a few weeks. Also Read: Novak Djokovic Looks Forward To Playing In US Despite Being Unvaccinated
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