Update! Carlos Alcaraz postpones his trip to Madrid as he aims to give a “rest day to his forearm”

As players gear up for the Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz delays his arrival.

Update! Carlos Alcaraz postpones his trip to Madrid as he aims to give a “rest day to his forearm”

Carlos Alcaraz (image via IMAGO)

Carlos Alcaraz has been out of action for a couple of weeks after withdrawing from the Monte Carlo Masters with a right forearm injury. 

His clay court campaign has been much anticipated this year, with many hailing him as the best clay court player at the moment. Even World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, picked Alcaraz over himself as the favorite to win the French Open later in the season.

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The young Spaniard was to start his clay court rampage at Monte Carlo but was forced to withdraw from the tournament a day before his second-round encounter against Felix Auger-Alliassime. It was later confirmed that he would be traveling to Madrid to play on home soil, with a recent update suggesting that he would be taking an additional rest day to have his playing arm in the best shape.

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The next-gen star plans to add another rest day to this break, traveling to Madrid on Sunday for his Monday match. His team’s initial plan was to travel to Caja Magica on Saturday and have a day to get used to the conditions. They have now updated it to have their player in his best shape as he looks to win a third consecutive Madrid Open title.

Carlos Alcaraz‘s biggest challenge on clay in the last two years has been his fitness, given his extremely physical style of play and the prolonged rallies that are preset on the surface. He was almost forced to withdraw from his semi-final match against Djokovic at the French Open last year due to severe leg cramps after the second set.

Fitness and injuries aside, the two-time Grand Slam champion has had his best results on the red dirt, becoming the first player ever to beat Nadal and Djokovic simultaneously on clay. This was en route to his Madrid Open victory in 2022, his breakthrough year. He continued to add to his list of amazing results in Madrid, defending the title in 2023.

Since then, every time he steps onto a clay court, greatness is expected. However, this season, he has not had an ideal start, incurring a forearm injury right before his first match on clay this year. The injury, although not very serious, has kept him off the courts for almost three weeks as he was undergoing physiotherapy and treatment.

Carlos Alcaraz eyes a third consecutive Madrid Open title

The center court at the Madrid Open is called ‘Caja Magica’, or ‘The Magic Box’ and this court has been nothing short of magical in the career of the exciting Spaniard. There were hints of greatness in his run at the tournament in 2021, where he got to play his idol Rafael Nadal on his eighteenth birthday.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Imago)

His unbelievable journey to the title in 2022 started his winning streak on the majestic courts of Madrid. In a span of three days, he outplayed the three best players on the surface at the time: Nadal, Djokovic, and Zverev. He also became the only player to defeat Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back at the same clay court tournament. The final against Zverev seemed to be very one-sided, as it lasted less than ninety minutes.

This magnificent form continued into the 2023 edition of the Madrid Open as well, where he dropped just two sets on the way to defend the title.

Despite injury concerns, he seems to be the clear favorite this year as well, with Djokovic withdrawn from the tournament and Jannik Sinner facing issues with his fitness. Alcaraz has his sights set on the trophy, and his team remains positive about his participation.

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