Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning U.S. Open champion and favorite, twisted his right ankle during a practice session but remains optimistic about participating and aiming for a third consecutive Grand Slam title, despite minimal hard-court practice.
He is not worried about the injury. As the third seed, the 21-year-old Spanish player will debut in the US Open against Li Tu, ranking 188th, on Tuesday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. He will face a challenging path in the U.
S. Open, potentially facing notable players like Sinner, Djokovic, de Miñaur, and Hurkacz in later rounds. 1 View gallery Carlos Alcaraz ( Photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images ) The U.
S. Open is played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on hard courts. Women play best-of-three-set matches, while men play best-of-five-set matches over 14 days with separate day and night sessions.
The prize money has increased to a record $75 million. Jannik Sinner, the world number one, tested positive twice for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, in March but avoided a ban by claiming accidental contamination. Djokovic and Alcaraz questioned the decision, citing a lack of consistency and potential double standards.
Alcaraz had a remarkable year, winning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and surpassing Djokovic as the highest-paid tennis player, earning $42.3 million ($10.3 million from on-court performances and $32 million from sponsorships and deals).
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