Carlos Alcaraz sprains ankle in training but says he’s fine

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz skipped practice for the US Open on Saturday after spraining his right ankle, but said he doesn’t fear it will be a problem for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.

“I think it’s OK. I just stopped training as a precaution,” said the 21-year-old Spaniard, who won the 2022 championship at Flushing Meadows for the first of his four major trophies. “I didn’t feel comfortable enough to keep training, in case things got worse.”

Alcaraz said he did not think the injury would put his participation in the US Open in doubt. He was more upset about the loss of time on court as he prepares to attempt a third straight Grand Slam title after triumphs at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July.

“I don’t want to stop any training. I want to train, I want to get better, I want to prepare for the tournament,” he said, adding: “I’m sure that tomorrow, or in two days, I’ll be 100%, that’s for sure.”

Third-seeded Alcaraz will play his first-round match on Tuesday evening at Arthur Ashe Stadium against 188th-seeded Australian Li Tu, who is playing in only his second Grand Slam match of his career.

For Alcaraz, the preparation was not ideal. He played just one match on a hard court in the lead-up to the US Open – a loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open in which Alcaraz broke his racket by repeatedly hitting it against the court, something for which he later apologized on social media.

The lack of hardcourt work doesn’t worry Alcaraz, although he admits he would have liked more before he went to New York.

He said he had not played many matches on clay before Roland Garros this year due to a persistent problem with his forearm and that he had only played two matches on grass before Wimbledon. He won both tournaments and left as winners.

“I don’t think it will be the same as the previous two Grand Slams,” he said with a smile, “but I’m not worried about not having too many matches played on hard courts.”

Alcaraz also reflected on his most recent high-profile match: a two-tiebreaker loss to Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final at the Paris Olympics three weeks ago. Tears flowed after that match, and Alcaraz said he felt guilty that day for letting his country down.

“It was a difficult moment to deal with,” Alcaraz said Saturday. “But in front of me I had a very good player who fought for the same thing as me. And he deserved it. So a few days after the Olympics I realized that I won the silver medal. It was a great achievement for me that I have to be proud of. I will try to continue, try to learn from this match. … The next important matches of my career I will approach in a different way, or in a better way, than I did in the Olympics.”