An unwell Carlos Alcaraz tried a technique to improve his breathing before the ATP Finals, but that did not prevent him from falling to a defeat against Casper Ruud.
Alcaraz seemed to be feeling okay at a press conference before the ATP Finals began when he said he would not feel more nervous before the ATP Finals just because it is a significant tournament.
The Spaniard was not the favorite before the ATP Finals, even when he seemed healthy because of his record at indoor tournaments. None of the 21 finals Alcaraz has reached came at an indoor event.
That makes becoming unwell before the ATP Finals especially problematic for the four-time Grand Slam champion. He never looked comfortable at any stage against Casper Ruud in his opening match of the season-ending tournament.
Alcaraz's level was particularly shocking in the opening set. Ruud easily and swiftly won it 6-1 after what may have been the worst set of tennis the 21-year-old has produced during the 2024 season.
To the world No. 3's credit, he kept fighting and looked set to force a decider when 5-2 up in the second set. However, that was followed by a sudden collapse. Ruud won the final five games to triumph 6-1, 7-5 in Turin.
It is important to emphasize that Ruud, the 2022 runner-up at the ATP Finals, is a great player in his own right and would have presented a formidable challenge to Alcaraz regardless of how he was feeling.
But there is no doubt the young star felt unwell throughout the match. He was slightly slower around the court than expected and did not last as well as usual in the longer rallies.
A report from Marca gave insight into the measures Alcaraz and his team used to improve his breathing during a practice session with Fritz on Saturday, ahead of the ATP Finals.
Juanjo Moreno, Alcaraz's physiotherapist, decided it would be wise for Alcaraz to use a nasal strip during training because of an illness he was and is still suffering from. A blocked nose was one of the 21-year-old's symptoms.
Nasal strips dilate the nostrils to help with a person's breathing. Alcaraz trained for an hour with Fritz with the strip before eventually removing it and attempting to play without it.
Fritz and Alcaraz played a practice session that the American won 6-3. They played one more game before the time ran out. Losing the set to Fritz could indicate that the Spaniard struggled, but scores in practice sessions are not always a reliable indication of how a player will perform in a match.
Unfortunately for Alcaraz, his struggles were visible against Ruud. The two-time Wimbledon champion needs to get himself healthy for the next two matches against Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the semifinal.
It remains to be seen whether the illness that struck Alcaraz will affect any of the other players competing at the 2024 ATP Finals in their upcoming matches.