Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from tournament hours after banking £2m

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Rotterdam Open after winning his first Australian Open title on Sunday, which landed him £2million in prize money.

Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest man in the Open era to win all four Grand Slams, adding to his two titles each from Wimbledon and the French and US Opens.

He surpassed legendary countryman Rafael Nadal — in the crowd to witness the feat — who was two years older when he did the same.

A seventh Slam put him alongside John McEnroe and Mats Wilander and one behind Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl.

Alcaraz came from behind to dismiss Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 at floodlit Rod Laver Arena to claim the title and cement himself as undisputed world number one.

It ensured he remained world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Alexander Zverev.

After his successful bid at Melbourne Park, the Spaniard was due to return to action at the Rotterdam Open later this month, where Alcaraz is the defending champion, having defeated Alex de Minaur in the final last year.

A statement released by Rotterdam Open on Monday confirmed that Carlos Alcaraz will not take part in the tournament, as the Spanish tennis star has decided to recover from Australian Open.

The statement read: "Carlos Alcaraz won't defend his title in Rotterdam. The Australian Open champion concluded that after his exertions over the past two weeks, he needs more time to return to action. We wish Carlos a swift recovery."