Spanish tennis great Alex Corretja has urged Carlos Alcaraz not to play the Madrid Open if he has not recovered from the injury he suffered in Barcelona.
There are concerns over Alcaraz‘s fitness ahead of the Madrid Open, where main draw play will get underway on May 23.
The four-time Grand Slam champion sustained an abductor muscle injury early in the second set of his 6-7(6), 2-6 loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final on Sunday.
The 21-year-old left the court for a lengthy medical timeout after three games in the second set and was unable or reluctant to move with his usual explosiveness after returning.
Alcaraz played 10 matches in 12 days across the Monte Carlo Masters, where he won the title, and the ATP 500 in Barcelona.
The world No 3 has entered the Madrid Open, where he is the second seed, and he is set to play either Zizou Bergs or Yoshihito Nishioka in his opening match. The Spaniard will aim to win his third title at the Masters 1000 tournament in his home nation.
Speaking on El Larguero, Corretja expressed doubts over Alcaraz’s physical state and asserted that he should not risk playing the tournament if he is not fully healthy.
“He needs to think with his head and leave his heart aside,” the former world No 2 said. “Playing one or two matches in Madrid and then withdrawing is not the solution.
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“All the tournaments are very important, and the Mutua is crucial in the calendar, but if he thinks he could be injured, he should think about it.
“If it were Rome, would he push himself to the limit? Well, I don’t think so, so he shouldn’t do it because it’s Madrid because it could be detrimental.
“Physically, I’m going with concerns. He’s accumulated ten games in twelve days and a muscle injury on Sunday, so to be at full strength in four or five days in Madrid, he’ll be just in time because the schedule is going to be tough.
“I see it with uncertainty; I have a lot of faith in Carlos, but it makes me uneasy about how he’ll feel. I’m sceptical about what he can do in Madrid.”
The two-time French Open runner-up also gave his verdict on the Barcelona final.
“He (Rune) was the one who controlled the tempo of the match and slowed things down,” Corretja added.
“There was a moment midway through the first set when the Dane dominated more and Alcaraz made more errors.”
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