A few minutes after Rafael Nadal, world no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz also announced his Monte Carlo Masters withdrawal! A teenager went to his doctor in Murcia and revealed post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine.
Thus, the young gun will take some rest and try to get ready for the Barcelona Open in a couple of weeks, defending the title there. Carlos made a breakthrough run in 2022, starting from outside the top-30 and finishing as the year-end no.
1 player! Carlos claimed his first Masters 1000 title in Miami, becoming the third-youngest Masters 1000 champion after Michael Chang and Rafael Nadal. The young Spaniard conquered Barcelona in April and cracked the top-10 before his 19th birthday as the first player since Nadal in 2005.
Not stopping there, a super-talented youngster dominated the Madrid Masters following back-to-back wins over Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev! Alcaraz became the no. 1 contender and proved that with more promising results on clay in June and July.
Carlos went to the US Open as one of the favorites and halted Jannik Sinner in the quarter-final after saving a match point. Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud in the final to become the first teenager with a Major crown since Nadal and the youngest ATP world no.
1! The Spaniard slowed down a bit in the rest of the season and experienced an injury at the Paris Masters that forced him to skip the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz will not play the Monte Carlo Masters next week.
Carlos worked hard on his return, hoping for a fresh start in 2023 before a leg injury prevented him from competing at the Australian Open.
Alcaraz returned to action after three months in February, conquering Buenos Aires and losing the Rio title clash to Cameron Norrie. Carlos secured his third Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells, toppling Daniil Medvedev in the final and lifting the trophy without losing a set.
Wishing for more in Miami, the defending champion fell to Jannik Sinner in the semi-final after three hours. Alcaraz missed his chances in the second set and faded from the court after that. The Spaniard returned home and underwent checks that showed two issues, skipping Monte Carlos and hoping to chase the title defense in Barcelona.
“After two months of competing, I’m happy to be back home but sad that I finished my Miami Open semi-final match with soreness. After visiting my doctor in Murcia today and further checking, I will not travel to Monte Carlo to start the clay swing.
I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine that needs rest to face the upcoming challenges. See you in 2024, Monte Carlo,” Carlos Alcaraz said.
