Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Madrid Open after the adductor injury sustained in his final defeat to Holger Rune in Barcelona last Sunday.
Alcaraz had been due to open his bid for a third Madrid title on Friday but confirmed in his press conference on Thursday that he would not be playing.
He was in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper, who could meet in the quarter-finals.
Offering hope of a quick return to action having also been troubled by his left hamstring, the 21-year-old said he is “not really worried about” the injuries and “I believe it’s going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum” to recover from.
He added that he would “do everything it takes” to play at his next scheduled tournament in Rome from May 7, with further tests on the injury at the beginning of next week.
“My hope is to play in Rome. If not, the next tournament is Roland Garros for me,” he added. “I will try to be on court as soon as possible.”
The French Open, where Alcaraz is the defending champion, starts on May 25.
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Highlights of the Barcelona Open final between Alcaraz and Holger Rune
‘You have to hear your body sometimes and take difficult decisions’
After unexpectedly losing in the first round of the Miami Open to Belgium’s David Goffin last month, Alcaraz had enjoyed a strong start to the clay-court season. He won the Monte-Carlo Masters for the first time and then stretched his winning run to nine matches before his 7-6 6-2 defeat in Barcelona last Sunday to Rune.
Having already lost the first set in a tie-break, the Spaniard took an off-court medical timeout early in the second set and did not win any further games on his return.
“In the Barcelona final I felt something in the left hamstring that I didn’t think was that serious,” he said.
“I’m really disappointed I’m not able to play here in Madrid. It’s a place I really love playing in front of my people, my family, my friends.
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Highlights of Lorenzo Musetti against Alcaraz in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters
“Here is a special place for me so it was a really difficult situation, really difficult to decide not [to be] able to play, but it is what it is.
“Tennis is really a demanding sport, playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to hear your body sometimes and take difficult decisions.
“But I will come back stronger and come back with a lot of power for the next tournaments.”
The world No 3, who won the Madrid clay-court tournament in 2022 and 2023, was in the Spanish capital on Tuesday launching his new Netflix documentary series.
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