World number three Carlos Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Madrid Open on Thursday due to a thigh injury, impacting his preparations to defend his French Open title. The Spanish tennis star, who has won four Grand Slam titles, sustained the injury during his loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final last Sunday.
“I did everything I could, but it hasn’t improved much over the past few days,” Alcaraz stated during a press conference. “Things didn’t go as I’d hoped in order to play here, and we’ve chosen not to take any risks. If I played, I would have made the injury worse and been out for longer than expected. It was a tough decision, but I believe we made the right call.”
Alcaraz had aimed to win the Madrid Open for the third consecutive year, having triumphed in 2022 and 2023. However, he had not trained at all since arriving in Madrid on Monday.
The 21-year-old hasn’t ruled out participating in the upcoming Italian Open and expressed confidence that he would be ready for the French Open, with the main draw starting on May 25. “I believe I’ll definitely be at Roland Garros, and I’ll do everything I can to be in Rome,” he said. “I’ll have another test on Monday to evaluate the progress, and from there we’ll determine the timing and assess how things go in the coming weeks.”
In addition to the injury to his right thigh sustained in Barcelona, Alcaraz also reported discomfort in his left hamstring. His season has been inconsistent so far; he was eliminated early in Miami but later secured the Monte Carlo Masters title in April.
“This was the first year I reached the latter stages in Monte Carlo, but also the first year I lost in the opening round in Miami, so I had more time to prepare for the clay season,” said Alcaraz. “It’s not easy transitioning from hard court to clay, playing many matches consecutively without rest. Tennis players are often faced with difficult decisions.”
During his Barcelona campaign, Alcaraz had not dropped a set until the final, where he lost to Rune 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, requiring a medical timeout for his thigh injury. Despite the setback, Alcaraz remains confident.
“Mentally, I’m strong enough to play good tennis again, so this won’t shake my confidence,” he concluded. “Whether I play in Rome or not, or in any tournament before Roland Garros, it doesn’t matter to me. I know my level and I know what I need to do to play my best tennis.”
