<p>World number three Carlos Alcaraz is unlikely to be at his best for Wednesday's <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/atp">ATP</a> Finals match against Andrey Rublev as the four-times Grand Slam champion continues to struggle with illness, the Spaniard's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said.</p><p>An off-colour Alcaraz lost 6-1 7-5 to Norway's Casper Ruud in his opening match on Monday and the 21-year-old cancelled a public training session the following day.</p><p>"As soon as he moves a little, it's hard for him to breathe. His chest is a bit tight. It's a bad time to get sick," Ferrero told reporters on Tuesday.</p><p>"We should not anticipate whether or not he will play tomorrow. We have all played in these circumstances. I don't think he's going to be so bad that he won't be able to play. It's going to be difficult for him to be 100% tomorrow."</p>.Bopanna-Ebden begin ATP Finals with straight set defeat. <p>"Rublev is a player who moves a lot, you have to be very good on your legs and, right now, that's what's costing him a little more, recovering between points ... "</p><p>Alcaraz won the Beijing title in October but his form since winning Wimbledon earlier this year has been unconvincing, suffering a second-round exit at the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/us-open">US Open</a> and being beaten by Ugo Humbert in the round of 16 at the Paris Masters.</p><p>After taking on Rublev later on Wednesday, he faces world number two Alexander Zverev in his final round-robin match of the eight-man event.</p><p>Alcaraz reached the semi-finals of the ATP Finals last year, where he was beaten by eventual winner <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/novak-djokovic">Novak Djokovic</a>.</p>
<p>World number three Carlos Alcaraz is unlikely to be at his best for Wednesday's <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/atp">ATP</a> Finals match against Andrey Rublev as the four-times Grand Slam champion continues to struggle with illness, the Spaniard's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said.</p><p>An off-colour Alcaraz lost 6-1 7-5 to Norway's Casper Ruud in his opening match on Monday and the 21-year-old cancelled a public training session the following day.</p><p>"As soon as he moves a little, it's hard for him to breathe. His chest is a bit tight. It's a bad time to get sick," Ferrero told reporters on Tuesday.</p><p>"We should not anticipate whether or not he will play tomorrow. We have all played in these circumstances. I don't think he's going to be so bad that he won't be able to play. It's going to be difficult for him to be 100% tomorrow."</p>.Bopanna-Ebden begin ATP Finals with straight set defeat. <p>"Rublev is a player who moves a lot, you have to be very good on your legs and, right now, that's what's costing him a little more, recovering between points ... "</p><p>Alcaraz won the Beijing title in October but his form since winning Wimbledon earlier this year has been unconvincing, suffering a second-round exit at the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/us-open">US Open</a> and being beaten by Ugo Humbert in the round of 16 at the Paris Masters.</p><p>After taking on Rublev later on Wednesday, he faces world number two Alexander Zverev in his final round-robin match of the eight-man event.</p><p>Alcaraz reached the semi-finals of the ATP Finals last year, where he was beaten by eventual winner <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/novak-djokovic">Novak Djokovic</a>.</p>