Carlos Alcaraz in worrying scenes after brutal tennis retirement at Rio Open

Tennis fans were left stunned after Carlos Alcaraz limped off court and was taken away after retiring just two games into his Rio Open match. Alcaraz, who lost to Cameron Norrie in last year's final, was starting his campaign against Thiago Monteiro when on the second point, the World No.2 fell to the ground in pain.

Alcaraz appeared to get stuck in the clay when sliding and went over on his ankle in an ugly looking incident. Monteiro showed class to cross the net and help his rival back to his feet after a long delay.

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Incredibly, Alcaraz played on for another few points, but at the change of ends he couldn't continue. Alcaraz retired injured after images showed his ankle had swollen up significantly since brutal fall.

"That is that, what a shame for the occasion," the commentator said. "But he has got to protect himself. A long season ahead for Carlos Alcaraz and there is absolutely no point in taking a risk."

Following the match, Alcaraz apologised to fans for not signing autographs as footage showed him limping towards a golf cart. There was immediate concern for Alcaraz who is expected to take part in the Netflix tennis match against Rafa Nadal in two weeks as part of a huge exhibition event.

Alcaraz's injury concern could also see him drop down the rankings with Jannik Sinner's ability to earn valuable points in the coming months after a brilliant start to the season. The Spaniard has 1,000 points to defend at Indian Wells. Sinner is only 535 points behind Alcaraz and the Australian Open champion could very well could overtake the Spaniard come Roland Garros.

Tennis world concerned for Carlos Alcaraz

Following the match, opponent Monteiro said he felt sorry for Alcaraz after the brutal incident so early in their clash. "This is so strange, it was the second point of the match," Monteiro said post-match.

"On the court it didn't look so serious, but then I saw it in the big screen and it was a bad twist. I can only cheer for him to recover, he is a star, a dominant one in the new generation." And fans were left worried for the 20-year-old as he looks to find his sensational form that catapulted him to the top of the game last year.

Alcaraz's injury comes after a shock loss to Chile's Nicolas Jarry in the semi-final of the Argentina Open last week. The Spaniard was defending his title but The defeat to Jarry marked Alcaraz's fourth loss on clay in his last 31 matches since the start of 2023. It was also just his third loss in the last 49 matches against players ranked outside the top 20 in the world.

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