Carlos Alcaraz clinched his eighth title of a remarkable season yesterday in Tokyo, but subsequently withdrew from the Shanghai Masters due to “physical issues” and voiced concerns over the demanding tennis schedule.
The Spanish world No 1 injured his ankle during his opening match at the Japan Open but overcame the setback to defeat American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final.
Immediately after his victory over the world No 5, the six-time Grand Slam champion expressed his frustrations regarding the tennis calendar.
“The schedule is really tight. They need to address the scheduling issues,” the recently crowned US Open champion told reporters in Tokyo, echoing the sentiments of fellow major champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
Alcaraz later announced on Instagram that he would not participate in the prestigious Shanghai Masters starting this week.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling with some physical issues and, after discussing it with my team, we believe the best decision is to rest and recover,” the 22-year-old wrote.
Alcaraz sustained his ankle injury last week in Tokyo while running for a shot, collapsing to the ground and sitting on the court for about five minutes.
Despite returning to play with significant strapping on his ankle, he admitted that the injury was on his mind throughout the tournament.
However, it did not seem to hinder him against Fritz, as he delivered another spectacular performance to lift the trophy in his first appearance in Japan.
He secured victory with a cleverly disguised drop shot before walking to the net to embrace Fritz warmly.
The win provided Alcaraz with a measure of revenge after suffering his first defeat to Fritz at the Laver Cup in San Francisco two weeks prior.
