Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 2 men's tennis player from Spain, has withdrawn from the singles round of 16 at the ATP Tour Barcelona Open (total prize money 2.95 million euros).
The Barcelona Open organizing committee announced Wednesday that "Alcaraz has decided not to compete in the round of 16 due to a right wrist injury."
Alcaraz could have reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking had he won the Barcelona Open. It was an opportunity to overtake current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy. He advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Otto Virtanen (ranked 130th, Finland) 2-0 (6-4, 6-2) in the first round the previous day, but his bid to return to the top ranking was thwarted after he chose to withdraw ahead of his match against Tomas Machac (ranked 47th, Czech Republic).
"I felt discomfort in my right wrist during the first-round match," Alcaraz said. "The examination results showed the condition was more serious than expected, so I will focus on a quick recovery to ensure it doesn't affect future matches."
Alcaraz, the 2022 and 2023 champion of this tournament, also missed the event in 2024 due to injury.
Alcaraz is expected to return to the court at the ATP Tour Madrid Open, which begins on the 22nd. He will then prepare for the BNL Italy International starting May 6, followed by the French Open, the season's second major championship, which begins on May 24. Alcaraz won back-to-back French Open titles in 2024 and 2025.
