Missing the 2024 Barcelona Open was tough for Carlos Alcaraz, as he admitted that he cried after realizing he couldn't play at the event.
The 2024 clay season is significant for Alcaraz because it might be one he remembers for a long time. With Novak Djokovic's struggles and Rafael Nadal's injury uncertainty, Alcaraz is often considered the biggest favourite to do well on clay.
Jannik Sinner has risen lately, but very few people would pick him over the Spaniard on clay, irrespective of their individual forms. This year's clay season includes the Olympic Games on top of Roland Garros, so it's a hugely important one.
He has a goal of winning both, but so far, it hasn't been the best clay season. Alcaraz hasn't started this year well because he's yet to play a match on red dirt in Europe.
He withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters with the goal of playing in Barcelona. He won that event twice in the past, but he had to withdraw from it as well, and it was a painful decision.
He told La Vanguardia that he actually cried because of it as it's a very important event for him.
"Yes. It was a very hard blow. I really wanted to come. My group of friends had already made reservations to come see me play. Think that, except in Barcelona and Madrid, they never see me. I wait a whole year to get here. I don't usually cry over these things, but Sunday was very hard."
His only other chance to play on clay on home soil this year will come this upcoming week at the Madrid Open. He's a two-time champion there, so the hope is that he plays, and right now, it's looking promising, but anything can change in the upcoming days.
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