World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz says he’s absolutely recovered from the thigh damage that disrupted his French Open title protection preparations as he gears up for a comeback on the Italian Open.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who owns 4 Grand Slam titles, missed the Madrid Open after hurting himself within the Barcelona Open last in April.
“I’m in good shape – 100 percent ready to start the tournament. I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Alcaraz mentioned forward of his opening match in Rome in opposition to Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic.
“I’m really happy to be here. It’s only my second time playing in Rome, so I’m excited.”
Alcaraz skipped final yr’s event as a consequence of damage and has solely performed as soon as on the Foro Italico, the place he fell within the third spherical in 2023 to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
“Last year was even more difficult,” mentioned Alcaraz of his injury-hit clay-court season in 2024, which nonetheless culminated within the Spaniard lifting the trophy at Roland Garros.
“This yr, I couldn’t play Madrid. But I might play actually good tournaments – Monte Carlo, Barcelona – good matches. I simply tried to get well from the damage, which I wasn’t anxious about in any respect.
“Right now I have confidence. The practices have gone well. Obviously, the first round in every tournament is never easy – you have to get used to the conditions, the tournament, the court, everything.”
“I think my level is in a good spot,” he added.
Headlines on the Rome occasion have been dominated by the return from a three-month doping suspension of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz mentioned he was comfortable to see his rival again in motion and would relish going through the world No. 1 within the last.
“It is great for me, for tennis, for the fans to have him around again,” Alcaraz mentioned. “We are on different sides of the draw. Hopefully, I’m going to meet him in the final.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com