Carlos Alcaraz has provided an update on his physical condition after completing his first significant test since returning from injury.
The four-time Grand Slam champion defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the fourth round of the 2025 Italian Open.
The hard-fought fight, which lasted two hours and 28 minutes, needed a step up in physical effort compared to Alcaraz’s previous two encounters in Rome.
Alcaraz defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 in the first round and Laslo Djere 7-6(2), 6-2 in the second.
The world No 3’s participation in the Italian capital had been in doubt after he was forced to pull out of the Madrid Masters due to injury.
The Spaniard sustained an adductor muscle injury in his Barcelona Open final defeat to Holger Rune and also revealed he was dealing with a hamstring a problem when he announced his Madrid withdrawal.
Alcaraz has worn a black brace on his upper right leg during his matches at the Italian Open.
Following his victory over Khachanov at the Foro Italico, Alcaraz spoke about the physical demands of facing the Russian.
“It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov,” the 22-year-old told Tennis TV.
“Physically I struggled a bit. Not any pain on any part of the body, but I was just tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I’m just really proud of the way I fought for every ball.
“At a break up in the second set, from then to the end of the second set, I probably lost focus a little bit.
“He started to play great, but I was really happy to forget it and come into the third set as good as I could. I just fought, and I’m really happy about that.”
“To be present… I have to be present. I had to wait for my chances. That made me run a lot. I had to fight a lot.”
On playing the early match, Alcaraz said: “I’m not used to playing at 11 am. Yeah, honestly I don’t want to wake up early, but today I had to.
“Anyway, I had to find the positive things that I finish early. A lot of time to recover, a lot of times to do other things here in Rome.
“But yeah, I had to be really focused in the beginning because the early starts sometimes is difficult to start the match. But I think I did it pretty well. Hope not playing too many matches first on, but if I have to, I will be ready.”