Carlos Alcaraz injury fears raised as US Open creeps closer after Wimbledon triumph
Carlos Alcaraz is looking to dominate tennis after his Wimbledon triumph
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Carlos Alcaraz has been warned about the need to stay injury-free if he's to dominate tennis for years to come.
The 20-year-old has won two Grand Slam titles so far, claiming the US Open last year before battling his way to Wimbledon glory earlier this month.
Alcaraz is currently on top of the world, particularly after his stirring victory over Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.
And tennis analyst Gil Gross, speaking on the Monday Match Analysis podcast, fears the youngster will struggle to dominate if he regularly suffers from injuries.
Carlos Alcaraz has been warned about the need to stay injury-free after his Wimbledon triumph
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"The answer is obviously, got to make sure the body holds up, got to make sure he doesn’t get injured," she said.
"I’ve got to say I don’t love that answer.
"I think for any player that is a factor because that’s always a really important factor in your ability to have a great career."
Gross does admit, however, that injuries won't necessarily always be an issue.
And that's because Rafael Nadal has been able to win 22 majors, despite his ongoing fitness problems.
"I would say Rafa has done a great job of challenging the idea that you need to have a clean bill of health throughout your career in order to be an all-time great and compile miraculous and remarkable records," she added.
"Rafa has certainly challenged that, he’s had his fair share of injuries, I think it’s fair to say.
"But yeah, he needs to stay healthy."
And Gross has also squashed suggestions that Alcaraz has a 'concerning' pattern with injuries, too.
"I challenge the idea that Alcaraz has had this really concerning pattern of health issues," she continued.
"He’s had two injuries. He’s had an abdominal tear which is one of the most common injuries that a tennis player can possibly have.
"Then he pulled/ tore his hamstring."
When quizzed on who Alcaraz's main rival will be in the coming years ahead, Gross sounded unsure.
The Spaniard has previously namedropped Jannik Sinner when asked who will challenge him for tennis supremacy in the years ahead.
But Gross thinks that, due to his young age, it's difficult to predict the 20-year-old's rival.
“That is such a pitfall that we go into," she continued.
"We can only consider rivals that are Alcaraz’s age or older.
"And Carlitos being 20, it completely skews our perception of who Alcaraz is going to be competing with - in order for him to have great success throughout his career."
She continued: “There is, in my estimation, over a 50 per cent chance that Alcaraz’s greatest rival in his career, we have never heard of.
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Carlos Alcaraz has won Wimbledon and the US Open over the past year
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"We have never heard of that player. It’s over 50 per cent chance that that is the case."