World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open after sustaining a right wrist injury, tournament organisers announced on Wednesday.
The Spanish tennis sensation picked up the injury during his 6-4 6-2 first-round victory against Otto Virtanen.
Alcaraz, who was the top seed, had been scheduled to play Czech Tomas Machac in the second round.
Addressing his withdrawal, Alcaraz told reporters: “After the tests, we’ve realised that the injury is more serious than any of us expected, and I need to listen to my body to ensure it doesn’t affect me in the future.”
He added, “I never like to withdraw from any tournament, and especially not this one. It is with great sadness that I have to return home to begin my recovery as soon as possible with my team, the doctors and the physio, and to be, or try to be, as fit as possible for the tournaments I have coming up.”
A two-time champion in Barcelona, Alcaraz had returned to competition just 48 hours after losing the Monte Carlo Masters final to Jannik Sinner on Sunday, a defeat that saw him fall behind the Italian to second in the world rankings.
The 22-year-old is expected to make his return to action in Madrid and Rome as he builds towards the defence of his French Open title, which begins in Paris on May 24.
He currently holds a 22-3 win-loss record this season, having already secured the Australian and Qatar Open titles.
Alcaraz is not the first high-profile player to pull out of the Barcelona Open this week.
Britain’s Jack Draper retired from his first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Monday after appearing to struggle with a knee injury.
Draper has struggled with his fitness in recent months and had to end his 2025 season prematurely due to an arm injury.
