In a thrilling display of resilience, world number three Carlos Alcaraz shook off a groin injury to advance to the last 16 of the Olympic singles tennis tournament. The 21-year-old Spanish sensation defeated Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), despite requiring treatment on his right leg late in the second set.
Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, is determined to be “100 percent” fit for his highly anticipated doubles partnership with Rafael Nadal. “It’s a pain I’ve been dealing with in the last tournaments, so I know what I have to do,” he said.
The young ace will face Roman Safiullin in the next round of singles, while his doubles match alongside Nadal against Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof looms large. Alcaraz is eager to help his compatriot win a second doubles gold, following Nadal’s triumph at the 2016 Rio Games.
Earlier, Nadal suffered a straight-sets defeat to old rival Novak Djokovic, ending his hopes of winning a second singles gold. However, Alcaraz remains undaunted, praising Djokovic’s dominant performance. “When Djokovic is playing at this level, it’s really, really difficult to play against him,” he said.
Griekspoor, who lost for the third time to Alcaraz, downplayed the severity of the Spaniard’s injury. “I didn’t see any problems with him… He was still all over the place,” the Dutchman said.
As Alcaraz continues his quest for Olympic glory, one thing is certain – this young champion will stop at nothing to achieve greatness.
