Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from another tournament as injury fears persist
Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the 2024 Barcelona Open following his withdrawal from the Monte Carlo Masters as concerns over his injury persist.
The world No 3 is the two-time defending champion at the ATP 500 tournament, but he will be unable to defend his crown due to the arm injury that also saw him miss Monte Carlo.
The 20-year-old Spaniard defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in the final at the 2022 edition of the Barcelona Open, while he overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2023 title match.
The 2024 Barcelona Open will run from April 15-21. The draw for the tournament was made on Saturday and Alcaraz, who was the top seed, was set to face either Luca van Assche or Zhang Zhizhen in his opening match. His spot has been taken by Fabian Marozsan, who has been made the No 17 seed, having been the highest-ranked unseeded player in the draw.
Alcaraz’s countryman Rafael Nadal is set to make his return to action in Barcelona, where he is an 11-time champion. The 37-year-old tennis legend, who has not played since January due to injury issues, will face Flavio Cobolli in the opening round.
READ MORE: Rafael Nadal ‘hammers’ Andrey Rublev in new video that fuels comeback hopes
The Barcelona Open shared the news of Alcaraz’s withdrawal in a post on the tournament’s official social media accounts on Sunday.
“We’ll miss you, champion @carlitosalcarazz will not be able to defend the title he won the last two seasons at the #BCNOpenBS,” the tournament wrote.
“The player from Murcia has suffered from the injury sustained in Monte Carlo, and did not have a good feeling in his training on Sunday and, despite having tried until the last moment, he will not be in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell – 71 Trofeo Conde of Godó.
“Carlos Alcaraz will go tomorrow to the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 to personally announce his withdrawal from the tournament. Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you next year!”
In a post shared on social media earlier this week, Alcaraz divulged he is dealing with a physical issue as he revealed he would not play the Monte Carlo Masters, which will conclude today.
The two-time major winner wrote: “I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play! I was really looking forward to playing… See you next year!”
READ MORE: Former world No 1 reveals key Roger Federer quality Carlos Alcaraz must add to improve
