March 07, (THEWILL) – Carlos Alcaraz has provided an encouraging update on his fitness ahead of his Indian Wells title defence. The 20-year-old Spaniard was forced to withdraw from last month’s Rio Open after suffering an ankle injury, but he says the issue is now on the mend.
“Probably some of the people are thinking about my ankle, let’s see if I’m going to say 100% or not, but I’m feeling better,” Alcaraz told reporters. “So let’s see how the tournament is going to go but I’m here to defend, I’m not thinking of anything else.”
The world number two has endured a frustrating start to 2024 after a stellar 2023 season in which he won Wimbledon. Alcaraz has failed to capture a title this year, suffering early exits at the Australian Open and Argentina Open. However, he recently defeated Rafael Nadal in an exhibition match in Las Vegas.
Adjusting to life as a Grand Slam champion has been a challenge for the young Spaniard. “A lot of days you wake up not in a good mood and you want to hide or not be recognised by people,” Alcaraz admitted. “But I’m a natural guy and I try to take it as naturally as I can.”
As the second seed at Indian Wells, Alcaraz will begin his title defence on Friday, against Matteo Arnaldi of Italy. A commemorative mural was unveiled at the venue this week to honour Alcaraz’s 2023 triumph over Daniil Medvedev.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
