Carlos Alcaraz, the world number three, overcame a minor injury scare to advance to the last 16 of the Olympic singles tennis tournament on Monday. The Spanish star triumphed over Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands with a commanding 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) victory, keeping his gold medal aspirations alive as he seeks to add to his four Grand Slam titles.
Despite dealing with a groin issue that has been troubling him in recent tournaments, Alcaraz is focused on making a full recovery for his upcoming doubles match with Rafael Nadal. “It’s a pain I’ve been managing, and I know what I need to do,” Alcaraz said. “It’s typical for tennis players given the demands of the sport, but I’ll work hard to be 100 percent for the doubles.”
Alcaraz, who is also the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, had to leave the court briefly for treatment on his right leg during the second set but managed to save a set point. He will face Roman Safiullin, the Russian player competing as a neutral, in the next round of singles.
Earlier on Monday, Alcaraz’s compatriot Rafael Nadal suffered a straight-sets defeat to Novak Djokovic in their 60th meeting, ending Nadal’s hopes of securing a second singles gold medal following his win in Beijing in 2008. Despite this, Alcaraz is set to partner Nadal in doubles, aiming to secure a second Olympic gold for Nadal, who previously won gold with Marc Lopez in Rio 2016.
“It’s very challenging to play against Djokovic when he’s at this level,” Alcaraz acknowledged. “He was exceptionally aggressive, making no mistakes and moving brilliantly. Rafa wasn’t at his best, but Djokovic was the superior player today.”
Griekspoor, who has now lost all three encounters with Alcaraz, did not see any major issues with the Spaniard’s performance. “He was very aggressive during the tiebreak,” Griekspoor noted. “There was no sign of him being seriously hindered; he was all over the court.”
Alcaraz will now shift his focus to the doubles event, hoping to recover fully and contribute to a successful campaign alongside Nadal.
