Carlos Alcaraz twists his ankle in practice but says he is OK - ESPN

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz cut short a US Open training session on Saturday after twisting his right ankle but said he isn't worried that it will be a problem for the year's last Grand Slam tournament.

«I think it is OK. I just stopped my practice just for precaution,» said the 21-year-old from Spain, who won the championship at Flushing Meadows in 2022 for the first of his four major trophies. «I didn't feel comfortable enough to keep practicing, just in case if everything is going to be worse.»

Alcaraz said he didn't think the injury would put his participation in the US Open in doubt. He was more upset about losing time on court as he gets ready to try to win what would be a third consecutive Slam title after triumphs at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July.

«I don't want to stop any practice. I want to practice, I want to get better, I want to get ready for the tournament,» he said, adding, «I'm sure that tomorrow, or in two days, I'm going to be at 100%, for sure.»

The third-seeded Alcaraz is scheduled to play his first-round match Tuesday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium against 188th-ranked Australian Li Tu, who will be appearing in just the second Grand Slam match of his career.

For Alcaraz, the preparation has not been ideal. He played only one match on a hard court in the lead-up to the US Open — a loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open during which Alcaraz destroyed his racket by repeatedly hitting it against the court, something he later apologized for on social media.

The lack of hard-court work doesn't concern Alcaraz, even if he did acknowledge he'd prefer to have had more before getting to New York.

After all, he noted, he didn't play a lot of matches on clay before this year's French Open