Carlos Alcaraz was playing at the 2022 Paris Masters when he suffered an injury mid-match, which forced him to retire in the second set.
Alcaraz has been a superb tennis player so far in his career, quite possibly exceeding expectations. His talent was never in doubt, but the Spaniard’s rise was meteoric, probably quicker than most people assumed.
It’s not a fluke, as he’s played really well for a long period of time, ensuring a place at the ATP Finals in Turin. His participation at the event, though, might not happen because the Spaniard just suffered an injury at the Paris Masters.
Alcaraz arrived in Paris with some issues, admitting to media before the Paris Masters that he had some issues with his knee but brushed off suggestions that it was anything serious because, at this stage in the year, every player has some issues.
It was a fair comment, but it was probably one that downplayed what the real situation was. He played well in the first matches of the ATP Masters 1000 event, but problems arose in the quarter-final against Holger Rune.
After losing the opening set 3-6, Alcaraz fought his way to a tie-break of the second set but then retired from the match abruptly, citing an abdominal injury.
It wasn’t the knee that bothered him in this match, but rather an abdominal issue. That’s not ideal for Alcaraz because abdominal injuries don’t heal quickly.
It’s very likely that he will now miss the ATP Finals because of it, as that event is coming up in a week, starting on November 13th. If he doesn’t find a way to recover quickly, he might just be missing the year-end event.
That would be quite unfortunate for Alcaraz, who is the World No. 1 player right now. It’s not ideal for the event either, but an abrupt injury is to blame.