Madrid, April 25 (HS): Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked third in the world, has withdrawn his name from the Madrid Open. He will not be able to participate in the tournament due to a foot injury. His match in Madrid was scheduled for Saturday.

Alcaraz stated that he had a pre-existing injury in his upper leg, which had been bothering him during the final of the Barcelona Open last Sunday. Additionally, he now has an injury in his left leg as well. He indicated that he decided to withdraw from playing only after receiving the medical report.

Alcaraz won the Madrid Open title in both 2022 and 2023. This time, he was the second seed in the tournament, and his draw was in the same half as Novak Djokovic. He had to receive treatment during his loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final.

Alcaraz mentioned that this injury would not prevent him from competing in the French Open. He won the title last year at Roland Garros (French Open) by defeating Alexander Zverev. He aims to defend his title again this time. Zverev recently won the Munich Open, overtaking Alcaraz for the second position.

So far this year, Alcaraz has registered 24 wins and only 5 losses in matches. He won titles in February in Rotterdam (hard court) and in April in Monte Carlo (clay court). However, he also complained of fatigue regarding recent events.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar