Alcaraz: "I will be recovered to defend my title at Indian Wells"

World number two Carlos Alcaraz says that the ankle sprain that forced him to withdraw from the ATP Rio Open will keep him sidelined for "a few days," but he will be ready to defend his title at Indian Wells after an exhibition against Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas.

"I just had an MRI on my ankle after yesterday's injury," Alcaraz wrote on Instagram. "After meeting with my doctor and physiotherapists, the diagnosis is a grade II lateral sprain."

"I have a sprain that will keep me from playing for a few days! See you in Las Vegas and at Indian Wells!"

Alcaraz injured himself at the second point of his opening round match against Brazilian wild card Thiago Monteiro, his right foot catching in the red clay of the Jockey Club Brasiliero.

After a hard fall, he limped to his chair, where, during a medical time-out, a physio tapped his swollen right ankle. He returned to win the first interrupted game, but after losing his serve in the second, he decided to withdraw.

Alcaraz stated in his post-match press conference that the physiotherapists had indicated that the injury was "not serious" and that further tests on Wednesday confirmed this.

He still plans to play an exhibition match for Netflix on March 3 in Las Vegas against Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments.

This meeting, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort's Michelob Ultra Arena, is part of Nadal's return to the courts after a nearly year-long injury absence.

At Indian Wells, the main draw will begin on March 6, where all seeded players receive a bye for the opening round.

Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev 6/3, 6/2 in the final to win the title in the Californian desert last year and become world number one again.

He became the youngest male world number one after winning the US Open at 19 in 2022, but his 2022 season was cut short by an abdominal tear at the Paris Masters in November of the same year and he missed the 2023 Australian Open due to a hamstring injury suffered in training.

Last April, the 20-year-old also had to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters due to back problems and arthritic pain in his left hand, but he won his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July.

Alcaraz's latest injury comes as Italian Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner closes in on the world number two spot.

Alcaraz leads Sinner - who won the Rotterdam title on Sunday - by only 535 points and has 1,000 points to defend at Indian Wells.