Wearing a sleeveless shirt, as if he were a New York Knicks point guard, Carlos Alcaraz returned 133 days later to an official tournament in the mixed doubles at the US Open alongside the legendary 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams (44 years old). The player from Murcia grabbed all the attention after missing two ‘majors’ and returning with a great opportunity due to the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner, the world number one, a rival of the Spanish tennis player in a sports career that has connected them for years.
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The match started at 9:40 PM (Spanish time) and they are facing the pair Glasspool-Routliffe. A good test that will serve him until the weekend, when the men’s and women’s singles draws begin. Alcaraz was still seen with a bandage on his wrist that extended from the wrist to the forearm.
Carlos Alcaraz’s last match was played on April 14 on the central court of the Real Club Tennis de Barcelona, in his debut at the Banc Sabadell-Open Conde de Godó, against Finnish player Otto Virtanen (6-4 and 6-2). The player from Murcia complained of pain in the wrist of his right arm after a return, and although he managed to win the match, he retired immediately afterward because “it is more serious than expected” and he felt compelled to “listen to his body” so that it would not “affect the future.”
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Since then, the 23-year-old tennis player has been withdrawing from the most important tournaments. First, from Roland Garros; then, from Wimbledon. Finally, fully recovered four months later, he announced the previous week that he would return to compete at the US Open.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner has dropped to number 3 in the ATP rankings, surpassed by Alexander Zverev, and this year he has 22 wins, three losses, and two tournaments won.
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