"He will be ok soon, no doubt about it": Martina Navratilova optimistic about Carlos Alcaraz despite Rio Open injury woes

Martina Navratilova assures Carlos Alcaraz will have a swift recovery after the injury at the Rio Open. The Spanish tennis player withdrew from the ATP 500 tournament in just the third game of the match against the local Thiago Monteiro, with the score tied at 1-1, forcing him to retire and preventing him from defending the points earned in 2023 as the runner-up of the tournament.

The 18-times Grand Slam champion Navratilova took to social media to share a message of optimism following Alcaraz's exit: "He will be ok soon. No doubt about it," the former world No. 1 wrote on X.

The young Spanish player has been going through a tough time in recent months, experiencing a clear drop in form and results since winning the title at Wimbledon. Now, concerns mount among fans with the unfortunate ankle injury, just ahead of the 'Sunshine Double,' where he defends the title at Indian Wells and the semifinals at the Miami Open.

In the press conference following his withdrawal, Alcaraz mentioned that he is currently unaware of the severity of the injury and will undergo examinations, although his team remains optimistic: “I don’t know yet, that’s the truth. Tomorrow, I have the test of my ankle and let’s see if it’s something serious or not. I mean the physios told me that they think it’s not too serious," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"Well, it was bad, it was bad because I felt bad. That was the first impression that I had. I was feeling pain once I fell down," 2-times Grand Slam champion added.

Pending confirmation of Alcaraz's medical condition, the Spanish player has an exhibition match scheduled in Las Vegas against Rafael Nadal on March 3, marking his expected return to the court just before Indian Wells.