Carlos Alcaraz will not play at the 2024 Barcelona Open even if the testing he did gave him positive results, and he explained why.
The 20-year-old was in Monte Carlo preparing for the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monaco, but he pulled out days ahead of it due to discomfort in his right arm. He actually abandoned a practice in Monte Carlo early because of that, so while it was surprising, there were indications that something like that might happen.
He returned home but kept practicing because he was supposed to play at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona just a few days after his withdrawal. Unfortunately, he would pull out of that event as well due to more complications.
Reports from Spain denied he had an injury, and during the press conference, which he still held in Barcelona despite withdrawing, he confirmed that.
The problem for him was the forehand, which he couldn't hit quite confidently, and he elected to pull out. During the press conference, he explained why he withdrew from the event, which he won two years in a row.
"On Saturday I did a test, and it gave positive images. But Sunday, which was the first day he hit forehands, was not as we expected . I noticed the pain again. And when he increased the intensity, he noticed more discomfort. My 'feeling' is not correct, it is what it is."
This update is pretty interesting because while the images came out clean and Alcaraz technically could have played, he didn't quite feel right when he practiced. We'll see what that means for his participation in the Madrid Open, as he's also the defending champion there.
There are many unknowns for Alcaraz, who keeps on struggling with these small injuries from time to time, which prevent him from playing tennis regularly. It's not an ideal start to the clay season for him.
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