Unsurprisingly, hopes for the clay court season are very high for Carlos Alcaraz, but there has been some worrying news for him ahead of the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Many in the tennis world expect the 20-year-old to be the dominant player on clay in the coming years. For instance, Mats Wilander thinks Alcaraz will be the favourite over Jannik Sinner at the French Open for many years.
Wilander holds this opinion despite Sinner's outstanding form so far in 2024. This included him becoming the No. 2 player in the world, although Alcaraz insists he is not bothered by losing the No. 2 ranking to Sinner.
Some may think the clay court season represents a good opportunity for Alcaraz to regain that ranking. But he is defending many points from last year, such as titles in Barcelona and Madrid and a semifinal at the French Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will want to be in perfect shape to achieve his goals, including seeking a first title at the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, it has emerged that Alcaraz's right forearm has been causing him issues.
The Spaniard arrived to Monte-Carlo with discomfort in his forearm. Alcaraz had previously been videoed practicing in his home country before his flight over to Monte-Carlo ahead of the event.
Unfortunately, Alcaraz had to end his first practice session since arriving to prepare for the tournament early due to the pain that he was experiencing in his forearm, which is concerning.
One more optimistic point is that this step was taken as a precaution. Hopefully, that means Alcaraz is confident that he will be healthy for the event and is just giving this issue a chance to settle down.
Still, he practiced with his forearm heavily taped, and he also didn't hit any proper forehands during a short part of his practice that has been posted by tournament organizers, fuelling further worries.
Last year's Wimbledon champion has already become a fan favourite around the world, making his participation in Monte-Carlo even more important for the tournament.