Alcaraz and Djokovic withdraw from Madrid Open
Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the upcoming Madrid Open with the same wrist problem that put him out of the Barcelona Open, casting his participation in the French Open into further doubt.
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Alcaraz had to pull out of Barcelona earlier this week, having sustained a right wrist injury in his opening-round win over Otto Virtanen.
The Spaniard received medical treatment during that victory before later confirming he would play no further part in the tournament.
He has now followed that by withdrawing from the next ATP Masters 1000 event, where he won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
"There are some news that are incredibly hard to share," Alcaraz shared in a statement on social media.
"Madrid is home, one of the most special places on my calendar, and that's why it hurts so much not to be able to play here for the second year in a row.
"It hurts especially not to be in front of my people, in a tournament that means so much. Thank you for the unwavering affection, and I hope we see each other soon."
Alcaraz is the second player to withdraw from Madrid, with Novak Djokovic having pulled out earlier in the day amid his ongoing injury issues.
Djokovic is a three-time winner of the clay-court, ATP 1000 Masters event, having triumphed there in 2011, 2016 and 2019.
But the 38-year-old is being selective with his schedule for 2026 and was forced to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters after suffering a shoulder injury.
The Serbian also skipped the Miami Open, having lost to Jack Draper in the fourth round at Indian Wells.
His absence from Madrid means he will miss three consecutive ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, with next month's Italian Open representing the next chance for him to play competitive tennis ahead of Roland-Garros starting on 18 May.
In a post to X, Djokovic wrote: "Madrid, unfortunately I won't be able to compete this year. I'm continuing my recovery in order to be back soon. Hasta pronto!"
Djokovic has not committed to remaining on the ATP Tour beyond the end of this year, but Madrid's tournament organisers expressed hope he could feature in 2027.
A short statement read: "We hope to see you back here as soon as possible so we can enjoy your tennis, as we have done so many times in the Caja Magica."
World No.1 Jannik Sinner also remains a doubt ahead of travelling to the Spanish capital, but he would have the opportunity to extend his lead at the top of the rankings over Alcaraz by competing.













