CARLOS Alcaraz will certainly not be able to defend his title at the Barcelona Open after withdrawing from the ATP 500 tournament due to a right arm injury, the same injury that caused the world number three to miss the Monte Carlo Masters last week.
Quoted from the official ATP website, Monday (15/4), Alcaraz now hopes to make his clay court debut in 2024 at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he has also lifted the trophy in the last two years.
The 20-year-old is 15-4 so far in 2024, a tally that includes achieving his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.
Meanwhile, 12-time record holder Rafael Nadal will take part in the Barcelona Open. He will face Italian Flavio Cobolli in the opening round.
“I am happy to be here, of course, Barcelona is a place that gives me a lot of joy, and a place where I have spent a lot of time in my life,” Nadal said in the Barcelona Open drawing, quoted by ATP.
“Real Club Tennis Barcelona is my club, I really enjoyed being here for a few days.”
Also read: Alcaraz Beats Borges at Barcelona Open
“Over the last two years, I have only had a few days on tour, so spending the days here, meeting the people, being able to train with the players is a joy,” continued the 37-year-old Spaniard.
At the bottom of the draw, second seed Andrey Rublev will look to revive the 2024 season with a strong performance in Spain.
The 2023 quarter-finalist will face Daniel Evans or Brandon Nakashima to start his efforts.
Third seed Casper Ruud, who beat Novak Djokovic and became a finalist at the Monte Carlo Masters — after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas — will prepare for his opener against either Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Alexandre Muller.
Another player in the top four in Monaco, Stefanos Tsitsipas, starts his match in Spain against Pavel Kotov or Sebastian Ofner. (Ant/Z-1)
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