World number two tennis star Carlos Alcaraz is out of the ATP Rio Open tournament after rolling his right ankle in his game against Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
The Spanish star took a medical timeout on Tuesday, had the ankle taped and won the first game but after dropping his serve in the second game he called it quits, in another setback to a so-far disappointing 2024 campaign.
Shortly after the match Alcaraz told reporters the decision to withdraw was a "precaution" and that the physiotherapists who treated him had indicated the injury "is not serious."
"I spoke with the physiotherapist on the court and we decided, together, that I would continue to see if it improved. It didn't, so we preferred to be careful and withdraw as a precaution," Alcaraz said, adding that he would have further tests on Wednesday.
The two-time Grand Slam winner's tough start to 2024 included a four-set defeat by Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Last Saturday he fell to 21st-ranked Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals at Buenos Aires, and hasn't won an ATP title since his stunning Wimbledon triumph over Novak Djokovic last July.
Hopes that he could start turning things around in Rio -- where he lifted the trophy in 2022 and finished runner-up to Britain's Cameron Norri.
He and 117th-ranked Brazilian Monteiro were two points into the match when Alcaraz's right foot stuck in the red clay surface at Jockey Club Brasileiro, where rain had delayed the start of play for three hours.
"It's really sad to win in this way, because I know how hard every player works to be ready for a tournament of this magnitude, I just wish him a speedy recovery", his opponent Thiago Monteiro said.
The injury comes with Italy's Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner closing in on Alcaraz's world number two ranking.
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