As expected, Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday afternoon. The second-seeded Spaniard suffered a left hamstring injury during his loss to Holger Rune in last week’s Barcelona Open final.
“In the Barcelona final I felt something in the left hamstring,” Alcaraz explained. “I didn’t think that it was that serious. I’m really disappointed that I’m not able to play here in Madrid. It is a place that I love playing in front of my people, in front of my family, my friends. They are not able to travel so much, so here is a special place for me.
“It was a really difficult situation, really difficult to decide, not [being] able to play. I think it is what it is. Tennis is really a demanding sport. Playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions. I will come back stronger. I will come back with a lot of power for the next tournaments. I’m really disappointed [to] not be playing here in Madrid.”
Next up on the four-time Grand Slam champion’s schedule is the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, for which he has two more weeks to recover. His appearance there will be crucial in a race with Alexander Zverev for the No. 2 seed at the French Open.
“My plan is going to Rome,” Alcaraz assured. “My mindset is to do everything it takes to be 100 percent for Rome. 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 day. My hope is to play in Rome. If not, the next tournament is Roland Garros for me. So I will try to be on court as soon as possible.”
smart decision
Yes RG is more important