Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open, an ATP 500 event, because of wrist pain, the Spaniard has confirmed. Alcaraz experienced discomfort in his wrist during his Tuesday match against Otto Virtanen. He took a medical timeout between the first and second sets but ultimately won the match 6-4, 6-2.
However, the issue led him to cancel his training session for today and announce his withdrawal at a press conference held at 5:30 PM CEST. Consequently, Thomas Machac, who was scheduled to face Alcaraz in the round of 16 on Thursday, receives a walkover and advances to the quarterfinals. Machac is now set to play either Andrey Rublev or Lorenzo Sonego on Friday.
This withdrawal also means Alcaraz will not be able to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking next week. Furthermore, he is expected to lose a significant portion of the 330 points he earned by reaching the final last year. This will widen the gap between him and Jannik Sinner. It’s worth noting that neither player will be defending points at the upcoming Madrid Open next week, should they participate.
Alcaraz did not provide a definitive statement on his participation in the Madrid Open, stating that it will depend on the recovery of his wrist.