"I felt pain in the same muscle where I had the injury last month" - Alcaraz after losing to Norrie in Rio Open final

Carlos Alcaraz failed to defend his Rio Open trophy due to a leg injury which prevented him from playing the way he wanted to against Cameron Norrie.

It was a disappointing end to his campaign in Rio because he won the first set and then was up 3-0 30-0 in the second set. His leg bothered him in the past days a little bit but it gave him major problems in this match. Despite plenty of chances, Alcaraz was unable to overcome it as Norrie won the match in the end.

Speaking after, Alcaraz admitted it's the same thing that prevented him from playing in Melbourne:

"The schedule is very demanding. I have been playing at the highest level for 15 days, without stopping for any day. In the end, playing games like today, discomfort arises, and you notice things. To prevent, you ask for the physio and they bandage your leg, but I felt pain in the same muscle where I had the injury last month. It's hard. I have tried to play at my best level despite that setback."

He further said:

"When you're injured, that affects your game, because when you're not well you have to do something different and risk more than necessary. I tried to be more aggressive and finish the points faster, but against an opponent like Norrie, who is very tough, it's difficult to win. Taking so many risks, you end up making a lot of mistakes and that has influenced me a lot."