plus, the unique predicament of him defending so many points while his rival has nothing to lose, I’m sure him and his team have accepted this reality before clay even started.

miami is a tournament he never should’ve gone to. there were barely any points to defend, the conditions there are not good for his style of tennis, and clay season is so much more important

he doesn’t need to be tussling with a qualifier to recognize that. really, what is he gaining from playing barcelona when his level is remaining lower than usual and he is only increasing risk of worsening an injury? carlos himself said he felt tired before he even stepped foot on court. now he’s had a medical timeout, and called for the physio for his wrist. I would hope he withdraws after this match. this is the second year in a row that barcelona = injury, and madrid (which is the much more important tourney!) begins to feel like another missed opportunity if he remains in the tourney after this match.

and before anyone starts a strawman argument of “so he shouldn’t play any tournaments ever again because there is always a risk of injury” I’m asking you to use your brain. if you assume that carlos goes far in every tournament ever, then he’ll only ever get rest for a few days to a week at most in between. you think that’s healthy? does any other top 10 player do this? no, they don’t! playing the entire clay season and going far in each one is a nice dream but it’s not realistic. reminder that carlos has never had an injury-free clay season and this wrist issue, saying that it hurts whenever he hits a forehand, is the 2024 story all over again. barcelona is the obvious tournament to skip, but he never does, and this story repeats. so obviously I’m a little mad!

or the other classic “he’s the youngest man to get the career grand slam, have some respect for him”, why do you think it’s disrespectful to call his current performance poor? what? tennis is a SPORT. it’s an ever-evolving sport and if you want to stay on top you can’t rest on your achievements. no one ever improves if all you are hearing is a positive echo chamber. yes, all players will have dips, but do you think sports survive because everyone claps them on the shoulder and says “well, you won last month, so it’s okay,” no! they’re always looking to be better! and sometimes that means knowing when to stop for a bit to rest. I hope he rests.