Carlos Alcaraz overcame a concerning injury to continue his campaign at the Japan Open, reaching the quarterfinals with a solid win over Zizou Bergs in the second round on Saturday. The World No. 1’s injury troubles happened in the first round, when he rolled his ankle against Sebastian Baez and took an emergency medical timeout.

After the win over Baez, Alcaraz had shared doubts about his journey in Tokyo, stating that he was ‘scared’ afterwards. He also suspended his practice session afterwards, drawing more worries from fans.

However, when he took to the court against Bergs, all such doubt was dismantled, with the Spaniard producing a flawless display of tennis to rout the Belgian 6-4, 6-3.

Speaking to the press afterwards, Carlos Alcaraz was all praise for his physio Juanjo Moreno, calling him the ‘best’ in the world at what he does and stating that he could not have returned to the court if not for him.

While the six-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he was a little concerned about some movement, he was overall satisfied with the level of his recovery and felt he was at a ‘good’ place physically.

“I’ve had a day and a half to recover. And I have the best physio in the world. What he’s done with my ankle has worked . Without him, none of this would have been possible. I’ve played almost normally. I was worried about some plays, but overall, I think I’ve been at a good level,” Alcaraz said.

Moreno, for the record, has been part of Alcaraz’s entourage for a while now, and oversaw his fitness and rehab during the 2023 Wimbledon, when he won the second Grand Slam of his career and first at SW19.

Speaking to the ATP at the time, Moreno was all praise for Alcaraz’s determination and discipline, stating that the World No. 1 and his team entered any tournament knowing they wanted to win, regardless of what happened in the middle.

“To us it’s surprising from a certain point of view, but from another the result achieved by Carlos was also to be expected. We prepare to win every competition we enter, therefore we try to choose carefully which ones we go to,” Moreno said.

“If we managed to win Queen’s and Wimbledon with such a short period of adaptation to the surface, of course it’s surprising. Surprising from the point of view of a huge historic achievement, but not because we weren’t expecting it. Really, we were expecting to win it and that’s what we work for every day,” he added.

Alcaraz is now on a 15-match win streak (not including Laver Cup results), having won the Cincinnati Open and the US Open before coming to Tokyo.

Carlos Alcaraz to take on Brandon Nakashima next at Japan Open

Following his win over Zizou Bergs, Carlos Alcaraz will next take on Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Japan Open. Nakashima, unseeded at the tournament, defeated Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

Should he beat the American, Alcaraz is likely to face Casper Ruud in the semifinals, followed by a potential final against Taylor Fritz. Fritz recently beat the Spaniard at the Laver Cup, leading Team World to a win against Team Europe.