World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz reveals his top priority after withdrawing from the Madrid Open

Last Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz lost the final of the Barcelona Open to Holger Rune, in part due to an adductor injury that prevented him from performing at his best. That physical setback led to a tough decision: withdrawing from the Madrid Masters 1000 to prioritize recovery and focus on the near future.

“I won’t be able to play the Madrid Open this year. I’ll miss you all very much—see you next year,” Alcaraz announced on Thursday. “Madrid is one of the special tournaments for me, it’s a tournament that I enjoy, I get to play in front of my fans, it’s one of the first tournaments I attended when I was a kid.”

Immediately after, the World No. 3 explained that his choice was about physical recovery in preparation for the upcoming tournaments. “These types of decisions are not easy to make but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important,” he said, before revealing his priority for the clay season.

“My hope is to play in Rome. If not, next tournament is Roland Garros for me,” Carlos said. “A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that’s not worth it.”

Alcaraz hopes to be back soon

With the Madrid Open off the schedule, Carlos Alcaraz’s next target is the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome, which begins May 5 and serves as the final major tournament before Roland Garros. “My mindset is to do everything it takes to be a hundred percent for Rome,” the Spanish star explained.

“I’m not really worried about it,” he said regarding his physical condition. “I believe it’s going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won’t have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.” On the steps ahead in his recovery, he clarified: “I will do some tests at the beginning of next week just to see how it’s improved, and from that let’s see how it’s going to be the next days… So I will try to be on court as soon as possible.”

A packed schedule is a challenge for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz also took a moment to reflect on the demanding conditions tennis players face throughout the year on the ATP Tour. “Tennis is really a demanding sport,” he said.

“Playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions,” added the World No. 3. “The schedule is really tight, really difficult tournaments week after week, and sometimes you have to think about yourself sometimes, and make the right decisions as to your health.”