It’s a sad day for Carlos Alcaraz and his fans. After a tough loss in the Barcelona final, news broke that he had indeed injured himself. What started as a medical timeout in the second set against Holger Rune turned into an MRI, confirming an adductor injury in his right leg. That setback crushed his shot at a third Barcelona title and raised big concerns for his next event, the Madrid Open. While fans waited anxiously, the Spaniard made it official—he withdrew from the tournament on Thursday in a press conference.
The 21-year-old delivered the news during his pre-tournament press conference in Madrid. “In the Barcelona final I felt something in the left hamstring, I didn’t think that it was that serious,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really disappointed that I’m not able to play here in Madrid. It is a place that I love playing in front of my people, in front of my family, my friends. They are not able to travel so much, so here is a special place for me.”
Alcaraz boasted a 24-5 record this season, with big wins in Monte-Carlo and Rotterdam. He sits at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, showing just how consistent and dominant he’s been. But just as he was finding his groove again after an early Miami Open exit, an untimely injury struck. He picked up hamstring and groin injuries during the Barcelona final against Holger Rune and, after doing everything possible to play, had to make the tough call to withdraw from his home tournament—the Mutua Madrid Open—much to his disappointment.
Alcaraz took to Instagram to break the news to his fans, writing, “[Translated from Spanish] I won’t be able to play @mutuamadridopen this year I’ll miss you guys so much! See you next year .” The outpouring of support was immediate and heartfelt. Real Madrid basketball star Sergio Llull chimed in with, “[Translated from Spanish] Cheer up crack! To recover well ,” showing just how tight-knit Spain’s sports community really is.
This isn’t the first time Llull has shown love for Alcaraz. When Carlos clinched the 2024 Wimbledon title, Llull sent a beaming “Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz ,” and the tennis star has always returned the favor—like when he celebrated Real Madrid’s EuroLeague basketball triumph in 2023. Their mutual support is a reminder that, win or lose, Alcaraz is never alone; he’s got a whole squad of Spanish athletes cheering him on.
And it’s not just Llull. After Alcaraz’s Monte-Carlo Masters win last month, his Instagram was flooded with congratulations from the Real Madrid football team. Vinicius Jr. dropped a string of clapping emojis, and Joselu Mato lit up the comments with fire emojis, celebrating Carlos’s red-hot form. These moments capture what makes sports so special—the camaraderie and joy that go far beyond the scoreboard.
Fans now wait and hope for a speedy recovery. All fingers are crossed that he’ll be back in time to defend his Roland Garros title. But before that, he has a few more tournaments lined up. Alcaraz himself blamed his injuries on the “really tight” schedule that comes with the “demanding sport” of tennis.
Carlos calls out the hectic ATP tour for his injuries
Remember when Alcaraz warned, “Probably they are going to kill us in some way,” after beating Ben Shelton at the Laver Cup last year? He was talking about the relentless tennis calendar and the toll it takes on players. “The calendar is so tight,” he added, pointing out, “right now, there are a lot of injuries. Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that.” Well, that saga is still unfolding for the Spaniard, and this time it’s hit close to home.
Alcaraz was absolutely gutted to withdraw from Madrid, where he would have been the home favorite chasing a third title after wins in 2022 and 2023. But with back-to-back travel and competition, it’s tough to keep up. In his words: “These types of decisions are not easy to make, but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that’s not worth it.”
On clay, Alcaraz is a beast—he’s won about 80.42% of his career matches on the surface, the best mark among active players with at least 100 matches. He’s racked up nine ATP singles titles on clay, including the French Open (2024), Madrid Open (2022, 2023), Barcelona Open (2022, 2023), Rio Open (2022), and Monte Carlo Masters (2025). So, skipping Madrid? That stings more than most.
But Alcaraz knows the grind is real: “Tennis is really a demanding sport. Playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions. The schedule is really tight, really difficult tournaments week after week, and sometimes you have to think about yourself sometimes, and make the right decisions as to your health.”
He’s aiming to recover in time for Roland Garros, saying, “I’m not really worried about it. I believe it’s going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won’t have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.”
Next up, he’ll test his fitness at the Rome Open before the French Open kicks off on May 25. Will the Spanish superstar bounce back in time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The post Real Madrid Icon Sergio Llull Sends His Heartfelt Prayers to Carlos Alcaraz After Disheartening Madrid Open Withdrawal appeared first on EssentiallySports.
