Carlos Alcaraz admits he is still not able to fully commit to playing at the Madrid Masters despite his opening match scheduled to take place later this week.
The Spanish world No.3 is in a race against time to be fit for the biggest tennis event held in his native Spain. He hasn’t played a match since Miami last month due to a right arm injury which forced him out of tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
Speaking cautiously to reporters on Tuesday, the two-time Grand Slam champion said he would be happy to play ‘three or four matches‘ in his return from injury. He hasn’t played a Tour-level match on the clay since the Rio Open in February where he rolled his ankle which forced him to retire from his first round encounter after just two games played.
“There are still a few days until my first match and today (Tuesday) I practised with more intensity”, said Alcaraz.
“Things have gone well and I’m feeling good. I don’t want to say I’m 100% playing because I don’t want to make assumptions. Right now, with my mentality, I’d be happy to play three or four matches here”.
Alcaraz is bidding to win the Madrid Open for the third consecutive year. A milestone that hasn’t been achieved at the Masters 1000 tournament since it started in 2002.
“I love competing and every time I lose a competition it hurts”, he said. “Staying at home to recover is a tough feeling for me. Monte Carlo and Barcelona are two amazing tournaments, it particularly hurt to miss the latter. But I’m someone who always looks on the positive side of things and tries to turn them around. When I decided not to go to Barcelona, I started to work hard on my recovery to see if I could get ready for Madrid. I’m excited to get back on court, to play my first official match since Miami. I can’t wait.”
The 20-year-old isn’t the only player on the comeback from injury. Another is Rafael Nadal who returned to action last week in Barcelona. The odds are against the chances of the two facing off against each other in the final, which will take place a week on Sunday. However, Alcaraz says there is always hope.
“We can imagine lots of things”, he commented. “It would be great to play a final with Rafa in Madrid. A lot of people would want to see that match, so hopefully it happens. But tennis is a complicated game, you can feel different from day to day, every match is unique, and you can never take anything for granted. There is no doubt that he will fight hard in every match, and he would love to be in another final in Madrid. I’m going to try and be at 100% and play well to try and reach that final”.
Alcaraz, who has a bye in the first round, is scheduled to play his first match against either Alexander Shevchenko or Arthur Rinderknech.
