Carlos Alcaraz didn't learn from last year. After winning the Monte-Carlo Open, he played the following week in Barcelona and was injured. He made the final but lost to Holger Rune, and likely due to his new injury. He then withdrew from the Madrid Masters because of the ailment.
In 2026, instead of getting a bit of rest before Madrid, and after losing to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, Alcaraz once again played in Barcelona, and once again, he appears to have suffered an injury. What isn't known is if he had the issue before the tournament and decided to play anyway.
The problem appears to be Alcaraz's wrist, and he had to seek medical assistance in his first-round victory against Otto Virtanen. He continued to play and won in straight sets, but not long after the match, he withdrew from the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz's latest injury worse than initially expected
Speaking to the media about the injury, Alcaraz said, "It’s a more serious injury than we expected when we saw the results of this morning’s tests. I’m stepping back to avoid taking any risks."
The real risk was playing in Barcelona at all, as it is sandwiched between several masters events in the lead-up to the French Open at the end of May. Barcelona is a 500 tournament.
Playing in Barcelona makes sense for Carlos Alcaraz, if only emotionally. The tournament is held in Spain, obviously, and he is Spanish. He wants to represent his country. He could also do the same thing at the Madrid Masters, a more important tournament, but his choice to play in Barcelona has cost him that.
The Spaniard is also losing ranking points. He dropped to ATP No. 2 after losing to Sinner in Monte-Carlo, and he had a chance to reclaim the top spot if he had won in Barcelona. He likely would not have held the ranking long, though, as Sinner would earn points by playing in Madrid, a tournament he missed last year while serving a suspension for two failed drug tests the year before.
Now, with a new wrist injury and Carlos Alcaraz's dire statement that the issue is more serious than originally thought, one might wonder how long the Spaniard will be out. Maybe he will be ready by Madrid, though, as he won't drop points by withdrawing; maybe he rests until Rome in early May. Let's just hope he can play by then.
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