World number three Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Madrid Open due to a thigh injury, dealing a setback to his French Open preparations.
The Spanish tennis star, who boasts four Grand Slam titles, picked up the injury during his Barcelona Open final loss to Holger Rune last Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference, the 21-year-old explained his decision to withdraw.
“I did everything that was in my hands but it didn’t improve a lot over the (last few) days,” said Alcaraz. “Things didn’t work out as I wanted to be able to play here, and we have decided not to take risks. If I played, I was going to be messed up for longer than expected… hard decisions had to be made, and I think we made the right one.”
The young Spaniard had aimed to clinch his third consecutive Madrid Open title, having won in both 2022 and 2023.
However, he arrived in the capital on Monday but was unable to train all week due to the injury.
Despite the setback, Alcaraz remains optimistic about his participation in upcoming tournaments. He expressed hope about recovering in time for the Italian Open and remains confident about playing in the French Open, which kicks off on May 25.
“I think I will definitely be at Roland Garros and I will do everything possible to be in Rome,” he said. “On Monday I’ll have another test to see how it’s evolved, and from there we’ll take the timings and evaluate how the next few weeks are going to be and how my body is doing.”
In addition to the right thigh injury, Alcaraz also noted discomfort in his left hamstring. His 2024 season has seen ups and downs, he exited early in Miami but rebounded with a title at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
“It was the first year I went really far in Monte Carlo but it was also the first year I lost in the first match in Miami, so I had time to prepare for the clay season,” he reflected. “It is not easy, a different surface, coming from hard court to clay court and playing so many matches in a row and having no time to rest, is not easy. Tennis players have to take difficult decisions sometimes.”
During his Barcelona campaign, Alcaraz didn’t drop a set until the final, where Rune beat him 7-6 (8/6), 6-2. The match included a medical timeout for Alcaraz as he struggled with the injury.
Still, the Spaniard remains mentally resilient and unfazed by the disruption.
“Mentally I think I’m strong to play good tennis again, so this is not going to take my confidence away,” he added. “If I don’t play Rome, or if I don’t play any tournaments before Roland Garros, I don’t care about it. I know what is my level, I know what I have to do to play good tennis.”
