Karen Khachanov follows Carlos Alcaraz hot on the trail as he withdraws from Barcelona with an injury

Karen Khachanov in fine form this season, setting sight on Grand Slam.

Karen Khachanov follows Carlos Alcaraz hot on the trail as he withdraws from Barcelona with an injury

Karen Khachanov (Image via: Imago)

A few weeks after shocking the tennis world by winning the Qatar Open, Karen Khachanov withdraws from the Barcelona Open due to a ‘small injury’. The Russian follows World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who earlier withdrew from Barcelona. 

For context, the 27-year-old Russian has been largely consistent this season than at this time last year. With one ATP 500 title win in Qatar and a semifinal reach in the Open 13 Provence tournament, Khachanov has been one of the underrated players on Tour.

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At the Monte Carlo Masters, he defeated fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev to reach the quarterfinals before eventually losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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The Russian is following Carlos Alcaraz’s footsteps after the Spaniard withdrew from the Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury. He made his withdrawal from Barcelona known on his Instagram story, stating that he looks forward to recovering before the Madrid Open which starts on April 22nd.

Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona due to a small injury. Now I am fully committed to the recovery and preparation process with my team. Hopefully, I will be ready for the tournament in Madrid. I will see you soon on the courts.
Karen Khachanov wrote on his Instagram story
Karen Khachanov’s message via Instagram

Khachanov was supposed to play Spanish legend Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the Barcelona Open. Bautista had earlier earned his 399th tour-level win after beating Roman Safuillin In the first round. The 36-year-old will face Italian Andrea Vavassori in the place of Khachanov.

Karen Khachanov aiming for a Grand Slam after a good start in 2024

A few days ago, Karen Khachanov earned his biggest win of the season after beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-5 at the Monte Carlo Masters.

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Karen Khachanov roars in delight (Image via Imago)

Despite losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas, the underrated Russian remained in No. 17. With 16 wins this season, Khachanov looks set for more, as he admitted so in a recent interview.

I haven’t won any Grand Slam tournaments; yet in the semi-finals or quarters, I’ve only lost to very good players, which shows that I’m there, very close. And my goal remains the same: to try and win a Grand Slam title.
Karen Khachanov said via Tennis Major.

Khachanov has six ATP titles including a Masters 1000 crown at the 2018 Paris Masters. He will be hoping to upset the top seeds at the Madrid Masters.

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