Carlos Alcaraz faces injury scare before French Open after Madrid Open snub-OxBig News Network

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Madrid Open to give himself enough time to recover from his injury concerns before the French Open. Earlier in the final of the Barcelona Open, where he lost in straight sets to Holger Rune, Alacarz sustained groin and hamstring injuries.

The Spaniard, who was denied a third title by Rune, said that he will only be able to ascertain the extent of his injury after his medical tests. Alcaraz mentioned that given the importance of the clay-court major at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old opted out of the Madrid Open.

“I couldn’t practice the entire week and found out I had hamstring and groin injuries. I needed to listen to my body and make the right decision. On Monday I’ll have more medical tests and after that we will have a better idea on how long I’ll be out,” Alcaraz told the reporters.

“This tournament is very exciting, but things haven’t worked out the way I wanted to be able to compete. It hurts me not to be able to play here in Madrid in front of my people, my friends and my family,” Alcaraz said.

‘Not an easy decision’

Alcaraz was scheduled to play in the second round on Friday, April 25, after getting a bye in the opening round. Alcaraz took medical timeouts during the Barcelona final and also dropped to No.3 in the ATP rankings after losing the match.

“I expect to go back to court and start practising in a couple of weeks. Rome is still a possibility, but for sure I’ll be in Paris. It’s not an easy decision because Madrid is the first tournament I have ever been to as a young kid, it’s the most special place for me to play. But (prioritising Roland Garros) was a big part of my decision to stop and recover properly,” Alcaraz added.

The French Open is scheduled to start on May 25. Last year, Alcaraz won the title for the first time after beating Alexander Zverev in the final.