Carlos Alcaraz shares surprising news in an urgent press conference
Carlos Alcaraz shared some upsetting news during a press conference before his second match at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
He kicked off the tournament with a strong 6-4, 6-2 win against qualifier Otto Virtanen, and was set to face Tomas Machac in the round of 16 on Thursday, April 16. However, before that match, Alcaraz called an urgent press conference on Wednesday afternoon (April 15).
This worried many tennis fans, who feared the world No. 2 might be injured during such an important time of the year. Sadly, those fears were confirmed when Alcaraz announced he had to withdraw from the tournament due to a right wrist injury.
During his first set against Virtanen, Alcaraz had to get help from the physiotherapist, who taped his wrist so he could finish the match. Afterward, Alcaraz said he planned to rest and get more tests, hoping the injury wouldn’t stop him from playing the rest of the tournament.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old later revealed the injury is more serious than expected, forcing him to step back. “It’s worse than we thought after seeing the test results this morning,” Alcaraz told reporters, according to Jose Moron. “I’m pulling back to avoid any risks. It’s sad, but I need to start recovering as soon as possible so I can be ready for upcoming tournaments.”
This isn’t the first time Alcaraz has had wrist problems; two years ago, he had a similar injury but managed to come back after two weeks, even though he still felt some pain.
Right now, it’s unclear how bad this injury really is, but it’s a tough blow, especially since Alcaraz is in a close race for the world No. 1 spot with rival Jannik Sinner. Sinner recently took the top spot again after beating Alcaraz at the Monte-Carlo Masters final.
Alcaraz had hoped to fight back in upcoming big tournaments, but now his injury makes it uncertain if he can play in events like Madrid on April 20, the Italian Open in early May, and most importantly, the French Open at Roland Garros from May 18 to June 7.