Alcaraz on medical timeout for knee: 'It was nothing serious, just for precaution'

ATP Tour

Alcaraz on medical timeout for knee: 'It was nothing serious, just for precaution'

Spaniard reflects on hot start to season's final major

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Carlos Alcaraz receives a visit from a physiotherapist during the second set of his victory against Luciano Darderi on Friday at the US Open. By ATP Staff

Carlos Alcaraz reassured his fans Friday afternoon that there is no reason for concern regarding his right knee.

The Spaniard took a medical timeout at 5-4 in the second set of his US Open match against 32nd seed Luciano Darderi to receive treatment on the knee. But it was ultimately just a precaution and the 2022 champion did not lose a game the rest of the match.

“That game that he broke my serve, on the last point after the serve, the first step, I just felt something in the knee that, it was [bothering] me,” Alcaraz said. “But after five, six points, it was gone.

“I was worried after that [moment]. That why I asked for the physio, but it was nothing serious, so just for precaution. After that, I just didn't feel it anymore, and it was good. So it's just nothing serious.”

One year ago, Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat in the second round of the season’s final major to Botic van de Zandschulp. The second seed has made clear he has no intention of allowing something similar to happen again, dropping just 23 games through three matches, including only 10 games in his second and third rounds combined.

“I’m just trying not to do the same things as last year. Trying to improve and do the things much better. Every time that I step on the court, I'm just locked in since the first point until the last one,” Alcaraz said. “I'm taking last year as motivation coming into this year, [to] be more hungry, ambitious to do great things here.

“This is a place that I love playing. The energy is crazy, so I'm just trying to feel the love and the energy from the people much more and playing as [many] matches as I can, so that motivates me.”

Alcaraz will next face Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who is into the fourth round of a major for the first time aged 30. The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-0, including a victory at the 2021 US Open and another earlier this year at Queen’s Club.

“He's really difficult to play against, really aggressive, big serve, trying to go to the net, so it's going to be really difficult,” Alcaraz said. “But as I said, I'm just trying to be focused on myself, that I'm playing great tennis, and I'm feeling really comfortable physically, mentally, and just feeling the ball really well.

“I will try to think just about my goals, about myself, and let's see, but it's going to be a really interesting one.”

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