Carlos Alcaraz raised serious concerns as he fell to the court after appearing to suffer an injury early in his debut match at the Japan Open.
The world No 1 took a 2-0 lead against 41st-ranked Sebastian Baez in his opening round match at the ATP 500 tournament before his 24-year-old Argentine opponent levelled.
With Baez serving at 2-2, Alcaraz pulled up and fell to the court after moving to chase down a drop shot from deep behind the baseline.
Alcaraz lay on his back and covered his face with his hand as he looked in visible pain and distress.
The issue appeared to be with Alcaraz’s left Achilles, and the Spaniard remained sat on the court as he received treatment from the physio mid-game.
Alcaraz in serious discomfort
Doesnt look good. Achiles?pic.twitter.com/uBAU6HVsXQ
— Tennis Masterr (@tennismasterr) September 25, 2025
Despite the scare, Alcaraz was in good enough condition to continue and, while he did not look at his best in terms of movement, went up a break at 5-4 in the first set before play was suspended due to rain.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is playing the Tokyo tournament for the first time in his career, having previously appeared at the China Open in Beijing in the same week of the calendar.
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In his pre-tournament press conference, Alcaraz spoke about making his Japan Open debut.
“I know it is a great tournament. I know the players who have played this tournament before and the players who have won this tournament before,” the 22-year-old Spaniard said.
“I just really wanted to come here, play great tennis, perform well and try to win the trophy. That’s why I’m here just to feel great on court, giving myself the chance to win the trophy to win the tournament.
“At the end of the week I just really want to put my name next to the past champions that I know it’s an honour to be next to, to those names as well.”
Alcaraz added: “I’m really excited about playing in different places, in different stadiums, and feel the energy from the Japanese people
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AloJapan.com