Alcaraz opponent Koepfer cites '20,000 people' in Arthur Ashe Stadium as reason not to retire early before handing Spaniard a walkover

Dominik Koepfer revealed that he did everything possible not to retire from the match against Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open while playing in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

World No. 75 played for the first time on the main stadium of the US Open, facing off against world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and closing the second day's night session. Unfortunately, the German suffered an injury at the beginning of the second set that eventually forced him to retire.

Koepfer showed resilience despite twisting his ankle and visibly being affected by physical discomfort, which ultimately led to his withdrawal with the partial score of 2-6, 2-3 in favor of Alcaraz.

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The match lasted only 58 minutes, generating disappointment among the attending audience, as well as for Koepfer himself who did his best not to abandon the match:

“I'm trying not to retire after 20 minutes because of freaking 20,000 people in the stadium,” Koepfer said.

The Spaniard successfully kicked off his title defense from 2022 on a positive note. Alcaraz played for less than an hour, and in a Grand Slam, as the rounds progress, it becomes increasingly important not to spend too much time on the court.

Nevertheless, world No. 1 expressed his regret over his opponent's retirement and sent his best wishes for Koepfer to return to the courts soon:

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“Obviously, in the first game, he got injured in the ankle. Obviously, that’s not the best way to get through to another round,” he said after match

“But obviously, I have to give credit to him. Hoping to see him soon on court, get well. That’s all I can say for him,” Alcaraz added.

The 20-year-old Spaniard will play the second round on Thursday, August 31, against world No. 150 Lloyd Harris. The South African was world No. 31 in 2022, but injuries caused him to drop in the rankings, and he is still working to regain his best form and climb up the rankings.

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Carlos Alcaraz is into Round 2 after Dominik Koepfer retires following an ankle injury in the first set.

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