Carlos Alcaraz’s injury setbacks on the Tour could be linked to the way he plays tennis, according to a member of his team.
The 19-year-old has been hampered by a trio of issues within the past six months. It began last November when Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from his quarter-final match at the Paris Masters due to an abdominal injury. A medical exam later found that he suffered an internal oblique team in his left abdominal wall which ruled him out of the ATP Finals. Then during the off-season, he injured his right leg which forced him to pull out of the Australian Open.
Alcaraz’s most recent injury is a strained hamstring which he suffered earlier this month. Fortunately, the severity of his hamstring problem is minor with there being an estimated recovery time of between 7-10 days. Although he did pull out of a tournament in Mexico this week.
Overseeing Alcaraz’s performance during the recent South American swing was coach Martínez Cascales who used to guide Juan Carlos Ferrero on the Tour. Ferrero remains Alcaraz’s principal mentor.
“Carlitos is fine, he knows that these things sometimes happen in tennis, but it’s always hard to stop when you really want to play,” Cascales commented on Alcaraz’s current fitness.
“He came (to Acapulco) after several accumulated matches, so you are even more excited to continue playing, but sometimes these things happen.”
The fact that the world No.2 has suffered a series of injuries within a short time does raise alarm bells for some given his young age. So could there be more to it than what meets the eye?
Cascales believes the problems could be linked with Acaraz’s ‘explosive style of play’ which is putting more pressure on his body. Something he thinks will become less of an issue for the tennis star as he gets older.
“The team is studying the situation, although for me the first explanation lies in his very explosive style of play, which is often excessive in terms of the number of balls he chases in the same play. (This is) something that even happens in training,” he said.
“It is a very important characteristic in his DNA, one of the reasons that has led him to be what he is and that has led him to be at the ranking that he is at so young. Obviously, as he grows, it (his body) will regulate this issue a little better, although it will always be like that.’
“The team that surrounds him is trying to improve this aspect, but without losing that spirit and philosophy that has led him to the top.”
The reigning US Open champion will be aiming to return to top form in time for the American hardcourt swing where he has a large number of points to defend at both Indian Wells and Miami. 12 months ago he reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells before becoming the youngest male player in history to triumph in Miami. Alcaraz will undoubtedly be under pressure to perform well once again but his team has played down the idea of obsessing over points.
“If we start to worry about this when we are so young, it means that we are not with our feet on the ground, the reality is that you should not worry at all,” said Cascales.
Alcaraz started his season by winning the Argentina Open before reaching the final in Rio a week later. Overall, he has won eight out of nine matches played so far in 2023.
