"I'm trying not to retire after 20 minutes because of freaking 20,000 people in the stadium." -Dominik Koepfer doesn't seem ready to make much of a match of this on Ashe, which could lead to it being one of the most deflating night sessions in recent #USOpen memory...
Alcaraz opponent Koepfer cites '20,000 people' in Arthur Ashe Stadium as reason not to retire early before handing Spaniard a walkover
ATPWednesday, 30 August 2023 at 22:30
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.
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:
“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.
Carlos Alcaraz is into Round 2 after Dominik Koepfer retires following an ankle injury in the first set.
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