Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to pull out of the Barcelona Open after a medical assessment deemed his wrist problem to be more serious than initially thought.
The world No.2 showed signs of the issue during his first round match against Otto Virtanen on Tuesday, which he won 6-4, 6-2. During the encounter, he received a medical timeout and was heard saying to the physio that he felt a ‘sharp’ pain in his right wrist and forearm area. Speaking to reporters afterwards, the Spaniard initially played down the significance of the issue.
However, the wrist problem is worse than Alcaraz had hoped. He is a two-time champion in Barcelona and was runner-up at the tournament to Holger Rune last year.
“I won’t be able to continue in the tournament. Yesterday I felt a discomfort that has gotten worse,” Spanish media quoted Alcaraz as saying during a press conference confirming his withdrawal.
“It’s a situation I thought I had felt before and that wouldn’t get any worse. The tests they’ve run on me say it’s a more serious injury than we thought.”
“I never like to withdraw from a tournament, and even less from a tournament as special as this one. With great sadness, I have to go back home to begin my recovery as soon as possible.”
Alcaraz has previously spoken about his desire to play a full clay swing, as long as his body holds up. It is unclear how significant the wrist injury is, and if it could affect his participation in the Madrid Masters. That tournament will get underway next Tuesday and take place over 10 days, followed immediately by the Italian Masters in Rome.
“I’m not afraid to say that I would have had to rest this week, but Barcelona is always a very special place for me,” he explained.
“Whenever I can, if my body allows, I will participate here. It’s a real pleasure to come every year.”
The withdrawal has also ended Alcaraz’s hopes of returning to world No.1 this week. The only way he would have been able to do so was by winning the ATP 500 event. In the PIF ATP live rankings, he is currently 390 points behind Jannik Sinner.
Tomas Machac, who was due to play Alcaraz, is through to the quarter-finals. He will next play either Lorenzo Sonego or Andrey Rublev.
