World No 3 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome after sustaining a forearm injury in his Mutua Madrid Open exit.
Alcaraz had been due to feature in the latest ATP 1000 event in Rome, live from May 8-19 on Sky Sports Tennis, where the Spaniard looked to bounce back from his quarter-final defeat in Madrid on Wednesday.
The reigning Wimbledon champion’s hopes of a threepeat on home soil were ended by Andrey Rublev, who secured the biggest win of his career when he triumphed 4-6 6-3 6-2 under the roof of Manolo Santana Stadium.
Andrey Rublev says he was most impressed with being able to stay clam during his win over Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid.
Alcaraz experienced pain in his arm during the tournament and was wearing strapping during the defeat, with the 20-year-old confirming on social media that he would not recover in time to feature in Rome.
In a statement released on X, Alcaraz said: “I felt some pain after playing in Madrid, some discomfort in my arm. Today I did some tests and I have a muscle edema [fluid swelling] in my pronator teres [forearm muscle], a consequence of my recent injury.
“Unfortunately I will not be able to play in Rome. I need to rest so I can recover and play 100 per cent pain free. I am very sorry, I will see you next year.”
Alcaraz successfully defended his Indian Wells title in March and reached the Miami Open quarter-finals, before injuring his right forearm in a practice session in Monaco and continuing to struggle with the issue.
Carlos Alcaraz admitted he was not comfortable playing his forehand during a win over Alexander Shevchenko at the Madrid Open.
He withdrew from Monte-Carlo Masters last month and skipped his Barcelona Open title defence due to injury, with Alcaraz feeling sore during his progression to the Madrid quarter-finals.
Following the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, there are ATP 250 events in Geneva and Lyon from May 19-25 ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year – the French Open at Roland Garros – getting under way on May 26.
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