Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Barcelona Open after wrist injury

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open after sustaining a right wrist injury, bringing an early end to his campaign in the Catalan capital.

Alcaraz defeated Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in straight sets in his opening match on Tuesday, but began experiencing discomfort in his wrist during the contest.

He had been scheduled to face the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac in the second round on Thursday, but withdrew after medical assessments revealed a more serious issue with his right wrist.

In a statement, the Spaniard said he felt his wrist ‘give way’ during a return and that scans confirmed the injury was more significant than initially hoped.

"I felt my wrist give out on a return during the match. After the tests, we saw that it's a more serious injury than any of us expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn't affect me in the future," said Alcaraz, who was replaced as world number one by Jannik Sinner earlier this week.

He added that he would return home to begin rehabilitation with his team and medical staff in order to recover as quickly as possible for upcoming tournaments.

"I have to go home to start my recovery as soon as possible with my team - the doctors, and the physical therapist - and get, or try to get, as healthy as possible as soon as possible for the tournaments I have coming up," he said.

The 22-year-old recently lost the world number one ranking to Jannik Sinner earlier this week and had returned to action in Barcelona just 48 hours after defeat in the Monte Carlo Masters final.

Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Barcelona and was runner-up last year, and he will now hope to recover in time for the French Open, which begins on 18 May 2026.

It is the second time in three seasons that injury has forced Alcaraz to withdraw from the Barcelona event, underlining ongoing concerns about his physical condition during the clay-court swing, despite his strong record on the surface and previous success at the tournament in Catalonia.