Carlos Alcaraz “Scared” After Ankle Injury at Japan Open

World number one Carlos Alcaraz admitted he was “scared” after hurting his ankle during his first-round win at the Japan Open in Tokyo on Thursday.

The top seed twisted his left ankle in the first set when the score was 2-2 against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez. He needed treatment from the physio and had his ankle heavily strapped.

Alcaraz returned to the court and broke Baez’s serve to go 5-4 up. At that point, his team seemed to signal for him to stop playing. Soon after, rain stopped the match and caused a delay.

When the match resumed under the closed roof, Alcaraz played strongly and won the match 6-4, 6-2.

“I was scared too, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz, who won the US Open earlier this month and now has six Grand Slam titles.

“When I landed on the ankle, I was worried because it didn’t feel right. I’m just happy I could keep playing and play good tennis. Let’s see how it goes.

“It probably won’t be easy over the next day or so. I’ll try to recover and do everything I can to be ready for the next match.”

Alcaraz will play Belgian Zizou Bergs in the second round on Saturday.