Carlos Alcaraz Withdraws From Barcelona Open With Injury Days After Loss to Jannik Sinner

The 22-year-old seemingly suffered the wrist injury during Tuesday’s first round match in Barcelona.

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Barcelona Open with a wrist injury. | Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto

Carlos Alcaraz, who thrives on clay, will see a shortened clay season this year as he withdrew from the Barcelona Open on Wednesday, just three days after he lost to his rival and friend Jannik Sinner in the Monte-Carlo Masters final.

Alcaraz wasn’t seemingly injured during his run to the Monte-Carlo final, or even during the final match. He lost 7–6, 6–3 to Sinner and gave up his world no. 1 ranking to Sinner in the process. Alcaraz’s dominance on clay came to a halt as his 17-match winning streak on the surface ended with the loss to Sinner.

The injury instead stems from his first round match Tuesday at the Barcelona Open vs. qualifier Otto Virtanen. The Spaniard won 6–4, 6–2, but underwent testing on his right wrist after the match.

“It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future,” Alcaraz said on Wednesday during his withdrawal press conference. “With great sadness, I have to return home and recover as quickly as possible for the upcoming tournaments.”

Alcaraz doesn’t sound too concerned about his injury, though, as this right wrist discomfort is something he’s dealt with before. It sounds like his withdrawal is a precautionary move on his part so he can recover before heading into other clay tournaments, like Madrid, Rome and the French Open at the end of May.

“It’s just discomfort. Discomfort that pops up, considering the few days I’ve had to recover, when everything has been practically back-to-back, so in the end things come up in some unusual movements,” Alcaraz said. “We’ve tried to calm ourselves down, try to keep going, and above all, be more relaxed, especially in the second set, and see what happens. It’s a discomfort I’ve had before, which has never led to anything more serious, so let’s hope it’s the same this time.”

The 22-year-old discussed how different the conditions were at Monte-Carlo vs. Barcelona, which may have led to him hurting his wrist.

Alcaraz dealt with a right adductor injury during last year’s clay season, which led to him missing the Madrid Open. He recovered well, though, as he went on to win his fifth major at French Open over Sinner in arguably the best tennis match played in recent years. It wouldn’t be surprising if the top two players in the world meet once again on the main stage at Roland Garros next month. Alcaraz will want to be healthy to defend his title there and at the Italian Open in Rome, where he also beat Sinner last year.

The race for world no. 1 remains a close battle between Alcaraz and Sinner, so the Spaniard could easily reclaim his title if he plays well during the clay season. Sinner is not competing at the Barcelona Open this week, but he’s expected to play in Madrid next week. We’ll see if Alcaraz feels healthy enough to return in a week’s time.

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