Carlos Alcaraz makes startling injury confession immediately after Japan Open final win
Carlos Alcaraz has acknowledged having many negative thoughts during his four-and-a-half months off the court due to injury after winning the Japan Open final against Jiri Lehecka. The Australian Open champion returned from a right wrist injury, tenosynovitis, at the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals, and has now won his second tournament back by defending his title in Tokyo, becoming the first player to do so since Pete Sampras in 1994. Alcaraz, like Sampras, entered as the top seed and Frances Tiafoe was the only other top-ten ranked player in the draw, but the American did not make it past the second round, and other seeds Brandon Nakashima, Casper Ruud, Rafael Jodar, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul losing their opening matches. The Spaniard beat Alex Michelsen, Denis Shapovalov, Matteo Arnaldi and qualifier Jaume Munar en route to the final, dropping just two sets in the process, before beating Lehecka 7-6 (4), 6-4.
After winning, Alcaraz reflected on his injury hiatus, saying: “A lot of negative thoughts come to your mind: if you’re gonna come back healthy, if you’re gonna come back the same as I was before, if I will be able to hit the ball normally without pain at all. A lot of thoughts came to mind, but I tried to push them aside all the time.
My team and I knew if I came back, I’m gonna be healthy 100 per cent, if I feel something, it’s not gonna be anything at all, so I have to go all-in on every shot, every ball, and I trust them, I trust myself, and it worked out.”
Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon, ending a streak of playing at a dozen Grand Slam tournaments, five of which he won, dating back to his withdrawal from the 2023 Australian Open after sustaining a right hamstring injury in training. He was also absent from four ATP 1000 tournaments in a row, starting with the Madrid Open and including Canada, Cincinnati and Italy.
The former world No. 1 added: “I’m really happy to be able to lift a trophy again, it’s been a while, and obviously it’s extra special after my injury. My comeback, the second tournament that I played, lifting a trophy, it means a lot, so I’m just really, really happy about it.
“It was a really tough week, and I didn’t find my best tennis, my best levels. I found the good solutions when it mattered, playing the most important point the best I could, and I did it this week, so I’m happy. I would say today was the best match of the week, or at least the most consistent level that I played, so just really, really happy.
