World no. 3 Carlos Alcaraz canceled his practice session at the ATP Finals after only ten minutes on Tuesday. The Spaniard suffered a 6-1, 7-5 loss to Casper Ruud in his first round-robin match in Turin, revealing cold issues and explaining his poor performance. Alcaraz wished to train on Tuesday and prepare for his next duel. However, he could not endure the practice session, terminating it right after the start and raising concerns about the ATP Finals withdrawal.
Carlos Alcaraz, ATP Finals 2024© Stream screenshot
Carlos gets sick ahead of Turin and loses the opening match
Alcaraz suffered an early loss at the Paris Masters and wished for a better run in Turin. However, he got sick and made an extra effort to recover for the first match. The Spaniard trained well but could not repeat that against the Norwegian. He made a terrible start and squandered a massive advantage in the second set to fall in straight sets. Casper dropped serve once in the second set and erased the deficit at the last moment, securing four breaks from 43% of the return points and moving over the top. Carlos struggled to breathe correctly, feeling pain in his chest after more extended rallies.
Carlos Alcaraz, ATP Finals 2024© Stream screenshot
Ruud took charge in the shortest exchanges up to four strokes and outplayed world no. 3 from the baseline, beating Alcaraz for the first time. The Norwegian denied two break points in the first game of the encounter, avoiding an early setback. Casper took charge from the fourth game, earning back-to-back breaks and landing an ace at 5-1 to claim the opener in 35 minutes. Carlos felt a bit better in the second set, providing four comfortable holds and delivering a break in game six. The Spaniard landed a volley winner to grab his only return game and closed the next one with a forehand winner for a massive 5-2 advantage.
Casper Ruud & Carlos Alcaraz, ATP Finals 2024© Stream screenshot
Alcaraz served for the set at 5-3 and played a loose game, sending a backhand into the net and suffering a break at 15. Casper held at love for 5-5 and extended his run with another push on the return in game 11. He converted a break chance with a deep return and a forced error, moving 6-5 in front and serving for a notable win. The Norwegian squandered two match points in the 12th game before seizing the third with an ace. Thus, he added 200 ATP points to his tally and left his rival with a lot of work to be done in the upcoming two encounters if he manages to recover.