By Karan Prashant Saxena, Reuters.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open after damaging his right wrist, tournament organisers said on Wednesday.
The Spaniard picked up the injury during a 6-4 6-2 first-round win over Otto Virtanen.
Alcaraz, the top seed, was scheduled to face Czech Tomas Machac in the second round.
“After the tests, we’ve realised that the injury is more serious than any of us expected, and I need to listen to my body to ensure it doesn’t affect me in the future,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“I never like to withdraw from any tournament, and especially not this one. It is with great sadness that I have to return home to begin my recovery as soon as possible with my team, the doctors and the physio, and to be, or try to be, as fit as possible for the tournaments I have coming up.”
A twice champion in Barcelona, Alcaraz had returned to competition 48 hours after losing the Monte Carlo Masters final to Jannik Sinner – a defeat that dropped him behind the Italian to second in the world rankings.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz is expected to return to action in Madrid and Rome as he builds towards the defence of his French Open title, beginning in Paris on May 24. He has compiled a 22-3 win-loss record this season, winning the Australian and Qatar Open titles.