Carlos Alcaraz’s debut at the Japan Open did not go according to plan. While the World No. 1 reached the second round with an easy win over Sebastian Baez (6-4, 6-2), the Spaniard’s evening was almost ruined in the rain-affected match. Though he was able to close out the match following a medical timeout and some heavy taping, dark clouds loom over his fitness.

According to Joan Solsona of MARCA, Alcaraz continues to experience pain in his ankle. After such a nasty fall, he needed a compression bandage on his left ankle in order to complete the match. In fact, he almost didn’t: “I was scared too, I’m not going to lie,” revealed Alcaraz after his win against Baez. “When I landed on the ankle, I was worried to be honest because it didn’t feel good at the beginning.”

Now hours later, it looks like the Spaniard hasn’t recovered much and didn’t train today. He skipped the practice session and will have his fingers crossed to get back fit in time for tomorrow’s second-round encounter against Zizou Bergs. Moreover, the Spaniard is working closely with his physio, Juanjo Moreno, and not risking aggravating his injury.

Interestingly, the organizers have scheduled his match tomorrow late on Saturday in the night session, meaning he will have the maximum amount of time possible to recover.

Although the Japan Open is an ATP 500 event, it is an important tournament for Alcaraz, given that he is eyeing to end the year with the World Number 1 ranking. His chances of finishing at the top were boosted after his US Open win, and a good performance in the remaining tournaments this season could propel him above Jannik Sinner in the rankings at the year’s end.

After improving his Head2Head 3-0 against Baez, Alcaraz cleared the air surrounding the extent of his injury. In what was a major relief for his fans, Alcaraz gave a reassuring update on his injury.

Carlos Alcaraz remains confident of recovering soon

Although the Spaniard’s fall raised concerns among his fanbase, they were thrilled to see Alcaraz complete the match and come out on top. Later, Alcaraz assured his fans and revealed that the injury wasn’t as serious as it looked in the first place.

He said, “After all I started to feel a little bit better. I was able to walk to the bench which for me was a relief. Now I’m feeling the same way, so I would say it’s great because when it cooled down I felt the same as when I was playing. It’s a great sign.” Despite the injury concerns, Alcaraz continued to play his aggressive brand of tennis and didn’t slow down.

With the Shanghai Masters tournament coming up, the Spaniard would be wary of his fitness level and shouldn’t risk his sprained ankle. Nonetheless, he is young blood and would be eager to continue in the tournament and come out triumphant. Do you think that Alcaraz can overcome his injury concerns and end the year as the World Number 1 player? Let us know your views in the comments below.