Carlos Alcaraz Battles Pain As Weather Causes Chaos in ATP Tokyo Showdown

The American swing ended on a high note for Carlos Alcaraz. Winning his second US Open title and climbing back to World No. 1? That was a dream run. Then came the Laver Cup, which didn’t go so well for Team Europe, but the Spaniard still looked to be enjoying himself. From there, he turned his focus to the next challenge: a debut at the Japan Open. Coming in as the top seed in Tokyo, expectations were high. But the weather had other plans for the champion.

Heading into his opening round at the ATP 500, the World No. 1 suddenly faced chaos midway through the first set. At 2-2 against Sebastian Baez, Alcaraz stretched wide for a forehand, stumbled awkwardly, and went down hard on the baseline, clutching his left ankle and heel.

“Alcaraz seemed to have jarred his ankle at 2-2 against Baez, received a mid-game medical timeout,” Olly Tennis wrote on X. The 22-year-old stayed on the court in clear pain, casting anxious glances toward his team before the physio taped up his ankle and heel during a medical timeout.