Carlos Alcaraz has announced his intention to participate in fewer tennis tournaments in the future. He links this decision to the fact that an excessively dense calendar in tennis leads to an increase in injuries among athletes.
These statements came after Alcaraz reached the third round of the US Open, defeating Portuguese Jaime Faria in a fantasy match that ended 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. The reigning US Open champion managed to overcome a slow start to defeat the opponent, who was ranked 72nd, on Arthur Ashe court.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner noted that although he did not want to be out of action for four months this season due to a wrist injury, he plans to incorporate regular breaks into his schedule going forward. He clarified that these breaks might not be four months, but one or two.
'Obviously, I don't want to take this break because of an injury,' said the Spanish tennis player. 'But in the future, I will take breaks, some long breaks. Maybe not four months, but a month, two months, skipping some tournaments, because it is impossible to play everything.'
He added that he believes organizers are adding increasingly important tournaments, forcing players to participate. Alcaraz emphasized that if the situation does not change, the number of injuries and fatigue among players will increase. He concluded: 'This break because of an injury was not good for me, but I will say that in the future I will definitely take breaks and skip some tournaments.'
During the match against Faria, Alcaraz showed signs of declining form, explaining the issues in the first set as a failure to convert a golden opportunity for a break that could have given him a 4-2 advantage. Instead, Faria leveled the score at 3-3, and then broke Alcaraz's serve, taking the lead 4-3.
Alcaraz admitted that the match was difficult, noting that he felt great in the first set but missed the chance for a break. He added that after that, he started rushing and lacked patience, which cost him the break.
Faria, in turn, regretted his inability to build on the momentum after an impressive first set. In the second set, the 23-year-old player's serving began to falter, while Alcaraz increased the pace and started finding extra sharpness in his shots. Despite having to save two break points early in the first set, the game proceeded in one direction afterward. Faria was broken three times while Alcaraz gained control of the match.
The Spaniard's momentum continued in the third set when Faria lost serve again, making the score 2-0. Faria managed to respond with a break of Alcaraz's serve, bringing the score to 2-1, but soon fell into difficulty again, losing the next serve and trailing 3-1. After that, the set went by serves, and Alcaraz took a 2-1 lead. In the fourth set, Alcaraz made a double break to take the lead 5-1 and finished the match by winning.
In the next match, Alcaraz will face Yu Yibin from China in the third round.