Carlos Alcaraz faces the risk of withdrawing from the 2025 Japan Open.

27/09/2025 10:49:00 sport

The reigning world No. 1 encountered an unexpected injury during his first-round match at this year's Japan Open versus Sebastian Baez.

Carlos Alcaraz played his first match in Tokyo two days ago (September 25), but the joy of his victory over Sebastian Baez was quickly overshadowed by an injury. In the fifth game of the first set, the 22-year-old suddenly felt pain in his left ankle and required medical assistance. Despite being taped up, he continued playing and won 6-4, 6-2 after 90 minutes; however, the injury remains unpredictable, and his participation in the second round against Zizou Bergs is still uncertain.

After the match, Alcaraz was immediately treated by physiotherapist Juanjo Moreno and prioritized resting rather than risking worsening the injury. The 2003-born player also skipped practice before the match against Bergs. This decision is considered reasonable given the upcoming ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters, as well as the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals awaiting ahead.

Alcaraz is expected to assess the durability of his ankle before deciding whether to compete. The reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion needs to carefully plan to maintain his form and ranking points while defending his world No. 1 position amid competition from Jannik Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz có nguy cơ bỏ giải Japan Open 2025-711952 — Carlos Alcaraz sustained an injury in his opening match at this year's Japan Open.

Currently, Sinner is competing in Beijing (China Open 2025) and is the top contender for the title. If he wins this ATP 500 event, the Italian player will significantly close the points gap with Alcaraz on the ATP rankings. This situation puts Carlitos in a tough position: to continue playing in Tokyo while not fully recovered or to withdraw to avoid risks.

The match between Carlos Alcaraz and Zizou Bergs is scheduled for 3:30 PM today, September 27 (following the Ethan Quinn vs Holger Rune match). If Alcaraz defeats Bergs, he will face Brandon Nakashima or Marton Fucsovics in the quarterfinals.

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