Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz says he has learned a lesson from his recent injury misfortunes as he seeks to return back to world No.1 in the future.
The 19-year-old has been troubled by a trio of injury issues over the past six months which has ruled him out of key tournaments such as the ATP Finals last November and the Australian Open in January. Alcaraz was forced to end his 2022 season early due to an abdominal muscle tear. Then during the off-season, he sustained a right leg injury which delayed his return to the Tour until last month. Most recently, he withdrew from the Rio Open due to a minor hamstring issue.
Concerns have been raised about the number of injuries to hit Alcaraz at such a young age within a short period of time. One of his coaches, Martínez Cascales, has previously said he believed it could be linked to the style of his play and the pressure that places on his body. However, the world No.2 has played down the severity of his issues whilst speaking to reporters in Indian Wells on Wednesday.
“I’m not worried about it all,” Alcaraz said. “I would say it’s bad luck. I’m doing the right things off the court and it’s really important to the injury. I think I’m doing great work. I just have bad luck sometimes.
“Playing a lot of days in a row, like I did like 15 days in a row, with no days off is really tough. Of course, I’m gonna take that lesson probably during the year and have some days off during the tournament and not get injured, but I’m not going to worry about it.”
Declaring that he is ‘100 percent recovered’ from his latest hamstring problem, Alcaraz has paid tribute to the work of his team. His main coach on the Tour is Juan Carlos Ferrero who has worked with him since he was a teenager.
“You have to be patient. I’m a lucky player that I have a really good team behind me,” he said. “I have a really good physio as well so we know how to recover from an injury well.
The next test for Alcaraz will be the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells where he could reclaim the world No.1 position if he wins the title. Over the next four weeks, he has a big amount of points to defend. 12 months ago he reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells before going on to win his first Masters 1000 trophy in Miami.
Alcaraz insists that he does not consider himself a favourite to win Indian Wells even though he is the top seed in this year’s draw ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, he has vowed to seize any opportunities that occur in the tournament.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself,” Alcaraz states. “I think I’m playing really well right now. on hard court. I think I’m a really good tennis player. I’m going to go for it.
“I’m not considering myself a favourite to win the tournament because it’s been a long time ago since I played on a hardcourt. There are a lot of good players in the draw that have a chance to win this tournament. But I will say if I have my chances to win the tournament, I’m going to take it.”
Alcaraz, who has a bye in the first round, will begin his campaign against either Brandon Holt or Thanassi Kokkinakis. So far this season he has won eight out of nine matches played with his only loss being to Cameron Norrie. He is yet to play a hardcourt match this year.