MADRID – Homecloud favourite Carlos Alcalaz, who withdrew from the Madrid Open on Wednesday due to a home injury.
The third-placed Spaniard said he has not fully recovered from the upper limb illness that bothered him on Sunday the Barcelona Open Finals. He also said he had an injury to his left leg. His first appearance in the Spanish capital, Kahamajika, was scheduled for Saturday.
Alcaraz is the two-time champion in Madrid, who won in 2022 and 2023. He was the second seed this week, and was in the same half of the draw as Novak Jjokovic.
Alcaraz needed foot treatment when he lost a straight set to Holga Rune in the Barcelona final. He had not practiced in Madrid, but said he felt “great” this week, but was waiting for medical test results to determine if he would play.
Alcaraz, 22 on May 5th, won to start a clay court campaign at Monte Carlo, and won nine consecutive games until the Barcelona Finals. He complained, “It takes days to get a lot of games and get some rest.”
He said the injury should not be a problem heading into the French Open next month, where he is the defending champion. He won the Roland Garros final against Alexander Zverev, who jumped the Spaniard to second place in the world after winning Munich last week.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alkaraz scored a 24-5 record this year. In addition to Monte Carlo, he also won the Hard Court in February, Rotterdam.