Carlos Alcaraz reacts after getting dumped out of Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz has opened up after he failed to become the first player to clinch three-straight Madrid Open titles on Wednesday.

The Spaniard lost 4-6 6-3 6-2 to Russian Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals in front of his home crowd.

The two-time grand slam champion won the opening set but couldn’t continue the momentum as Rublev broke his opponent’s 14-match winning streak at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Alcaraz injured his right forearm during a practice session in Monaco which has affected the start of his clay court season.

"I have to keep working to recover my normal forehand without thinking about my forearm. Today I thought about it more than yesterday," Alcaraz told reporters.

"I think that in Rome, I will continue to play with it (an arm sleeve) as a precaution.

"The balance is positive, but when I go out on court I don't want to lose. If we look at the overall it has been a very good week."

Rublev will play his first semi-final in Madrid as he gears up to face American Taylor Fritz tomorrow.

"Maybe this week is a relief but then next week we go back to the same... so better not to think this way because when you start to think 'Oh, how good everything is' that's what happened at the beginning of the season," Rublev said.

"Then, for six weeks, I wasn't winning anything. It's better to not think at all. It's not bad, it's not good. It's just a moment. It happens to everyone, every player has been through these moments.

"The most important thing is to keep working and improving and then remember that one week can change anything."

Italian top seed Jannik Sinner, who was set to lock horns with Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Thursday, has also withdrawn from the tournament due to a hip injury.

"Very sad to have to withdraw from my next match here in Madrid," Sinner said on social media platform X. "My hip has been bothering me this week and has slowly been getting more painful.

"Taking the advice from the doctors we decided it's best to not play further and make it worse."