Alcaraz withdraws from Barcelona tournament due to wrist issue

Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish tennis player, has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury that caused him trouble during his first-round match, raising concerns about his title defence at Roland Garros, with the announcement coming on the heels of his win over Otto Virtanen.

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The injury, which Alcaraz described as more serious than initially expected, forced him to pull out of the tournament, saying "I won't be able to continue in the tournament" and explaining that he felt his wrist give out on a return during the match.

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After undergoing tests, the extent of the injury became clear, prompting Alcaraz to prioritize his recovery, stating "I have to listen to my body so it doesn't affect me in the future", in a decision that marks the second time in three years that injury has forced him to withdraw from the Barcelona tournament.

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Alcaraz had previously won the tournament in 2022 and 2023, and finished as runner-up to Holger Rune just 12 months ago, but this year he will not get the chance to face Tomas Machac on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals as he had been scheduled to do.

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Instead, Alcaraz will now focus on his recovery, planning to "go home to start my recovery as soon as possible with my team, the doctors, and the physical therapist, and get — or try to get — as healthy as possible as soon as possible for the tournaments I have coming up", as he expressed his hope to return to the court soon, saying "I hope you'll be able to see me on the court again as soon as possible".

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This withdrawal comes at a time when Alcaraz has just lost his world number one ranking, following his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday, and a win in Barcelona would have given him the opportunity to regain it.