"Carlos Alcaraz has trouble breathing" - Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero gives his verdict on Spaniard's fitness at ATP Finals & whether he can still play

Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has opened up about the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion's health concerns at the ongoing ATP Finals. Ferrero aired his views on the subject after Alcaraz stopped a practice session that had only just started after experiencing breathing problems.

Alcaraz was uncharacteristically erratic throughout his first match at this season's edition of the prestigious year-end event against Casper Ruud. Ruud capitalized on the situation and swept aside the Spaniard. The 6-1, 7-5 Round-Robin win marked the Norwegian's maiden career triumph over the Spaniard. Ruud had lost all four previous meetings, including the 2022 US Open final.

Later, the former World No. 1 revealed he had felt stomach discomfort in the buildup to the match. On Tuesday, November 12, Carlos Alcaraz began a practice session ahead of his second match at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals against Andrey Rublev. The result of the match may very well decide who among the two still stands a chance of going through to the semifinals. Rublev lost his own first match against World No. 2 Alexander Zverev.

However, only five minutes into the practice session, Alcaraz cancelled it. Later, his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero told reporters in Spanish that the World No. 3 is facing breathing difficulties that are preventing him from performing at his highest level. Ferrero's words were shared on X (formerly Twitter) by journalist German R. Abril.

"As soon as he moves a little, he has trouble breathing. His chest is a little tight. A bad time to get sick," Ferrero said. (translated from Spanish)

However, the coach, a former World No. 1 like his pupil, remained optimistic that Alcaraz would not have to pull out from his upcoming encounter against Rublev on Wednesday, November 13. At the same time, Ferrero admitted that Alcaraz has little chance of being his usually-electrifying self on the court against the Russian.

"We must not anticipate whether he will play or not tomorrow. We have all played in these circumstances. I think he will not get to the point where he will not go on court. It will be difficult for him to be 100% tomorrow," Ferrero added (translated from Spanish).

Alcaraz himself recently laid bare that he's fatigued at the end of another grueling tennis season.

"You finish a swing, you only have two or three days off" - Carlos Alcaraz after Nitto ATP Finals 2024 loss to Casper Ruud

Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Getty)

Following his first-ever defeat at the hands of Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz spoke up about the mental fatigue he is currently experiencing. The Spaniard has completed 64 matches so far in the ongoing season on the ATP Tour, having won 52 and lost 12 of his matches.

"I'm tired. I'm tired mentally. Obviously a lot of matches, really tight schedule, really demanding year with not too many days off, not too many period of you could rest, you could practice at home. It's kind of you finish one week or you finish a swing, you only have two or three days off and then you have to go to other tournaments to other part of the world," Carlos Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz's 2024 schedule has also been inclusive of exhibition events such as the Netflix Slam, the Laver Cup (no ranking points despite being an ATP Tour-sanctioned event), and the Six Kings Slam. The Spaniard finished as the winner at the first two exhibition tournaments, but lost the Six Kings Slam final against reigning World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.