Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open due to a concerning wrist injury, throwing his preparations for the upcoming French Open into uncertainty.
"I felt my wrist give out on a return during the match. After the tests, we saw that it's a more serious injury than any of us expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn't affect me in the future," Alcaraz stated.
The 22-year-old, who had just been dethroned as world number one by Jannik Sinner, managed to win his first-round match against Otto Virtanen on Tuesday despite experiencing discomfort. He was scheduled to face Tomas Machac on Thursday but withdrew following medical evaluations on his right wrist.
Alcaraz, a two-time Barcelona champion and last year's finalist, emphasized the need for immediate recovery. "I have to go home to start my recovery as soon as possible with my team... and get as healthy as possible for the tournaments I have coming up," he added.
This setback comes just 48 hours after Alcaraz fell to Sinner in the Monte-Carlo Masters final, a loss that cost him the top ranking. A victory in Barcelona would have immediately returned him to the summit of men's tennis. This marks the second time in three years that injury has forced him out of this particular clay-court event.
The primary concern now shifts to Roland Garros, where Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion. The French Open begins on May 18th, leaving him with a tight window to regain fitness for his title defense.
In other tournament action:
- Britain's Cameron Norrie advanced to the third round in Barcelona after a hard-fought three-set victory over American Ethan Quinn.
- Katie Boulter secured a quarter-final spot at the Open de Rouen with a three-set win against Jaqueline Cristian.
- At the Stuttgart Open, Iga Swiatek began her clay-court season successfully with a straight-sets win over Laura Siegemund in her first match with new coach Francisco Roig.