Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Madrid Masters, raising doubts over his chances of defending his French Open title.
The world number two played his opening match at the Barcelona Open. But he later withdrew from the event on Wednesday due to a wrist injury. On Friday, he confirmed he will also miss the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz shared his feelings in a message.
“There is news that is incredibly hard to share. Madrid is home, one of the most special places on the calendar for me, and that’s why it hurts so much not to be able to play here for the second year in a row,” he wrote.
“It especially hurts not to be able to be there in front of my people, at a tournament that is so special.”
Earlier the same day, Novak Djokovic also pulled out of the Madrid Open, which starts on April 21.
The French Open will begin on May 18. Alcaraz has won the title in the last two years and is the defending champion.
He lost the world number one ranking after his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday. He had a chance to regain the top spot in Barcelona, as Sinner was not playing there.
The 22 year old has enjoyed a strong season so far. He holds a 22-3 record and has already won a title in Doha. He also made history in January by winning the Australian Open and completing a career Grand Slam at a young age.
Alcaraz said earlier this month that he wanted to play a full clay season before starting his title defence in Paris.
Last year, he won in Monte Carlo but missed the Madrid Open. He then returned in Rome and won the title there for the first time.
