Carlos Alcaraz did not play last week in Basel due to injuries, and he refused to declare himself 100 % fit before the 2023 Paris Masters.
Carlos Alcaraz has had an interesting approach to injuries as he often times declared himself fit, even though that likely wasn't the case. It's nothing new, and we've seen that type of gamesmanship from many other players as well.
When it comes to the Spaniard, his current status is somewhat unknown. His own comments didn't help clear up the air, even though it's likely that he's really not 100 % fit. He didn't play last week due to two separate issues, but he will play this week, albeit likely without being 100 % fit.
In the pre-event press conference, Alcaraz refused to declare himself 100 % fit, explaining that hardly any player at this part of the year is fully fit.
Well, I'm not gonna say that I'm 100% because it could be a lie. You know, at this time of the year, you know, after a long year, I think almost every player has a little bit of problems in their bodies, you know. I'm feeling in that way. I'm feeling a little bit of pain, you know, but I had a really good recovery these weeks. I'm coming here feeling well enough, you know, to do a good result here.
What he did say is that other players are more likely to win the event. He namedropped Sinner and Medvedev along with Djokovic as players likeliest to win the event.
I don't know if he has more chances or me. Jannik, for example, is playing unbelievable. Medvedev as well. There are a lot of great players that are playing in high level, you know, so I think that the draw is really, really open, and a lot of players can win this tournament.