Carlos Alcaraz is expected to travel to Madrid on Sunday as doubts creep into the Spaniard's involvement in the second clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season.
A right forearm injury has scuppered Alcaraz's European clay swing, which was meant to begin in Monte Carlo. The 20-year-old traveled to Monaco but was forced to cut short his first practice session there because of discomfort in his arm.
For the second year in a row, he withdrew from the tournament and returned to Spain for treatment, with two title defenses on the horizon. Alcaraz worked day and night with his psychologist, Juanjo Moreno, to pass a late fitness test to play in Barcelona.
But he was deemed unfit to compete at the ATP 500 event. Alcaraz attributes the injury to frequent changes of balls and surfaces. He has played five tournaments already this year, two of which were on the clay in South America, where he, incidentally, suffered an ankle injury.
The two-time Grand Slam champion was unhappy about missing one of the most important tournaments in his career. Alcaraz revealed that he cried upon learning that he would miss the Barcelona Open this year, especially since close friends and relatives had made reservations to watch him in action.
His participation at the Madrid Open will most likely be a last-minute decision. Alcaraz has been training at the Ferrero Tennis Academy and shared a glimpse of his session performing shadow swings without a racket.
According to MARCA, Alcaraz planned to travel to Madrid on Saturday and undergo further tests, which would give a better indicator of whether to play or not. However, that plan has now been revised.
Instead, the World No. 3 will travel on Sunday ahead of Monday's official draw ceremony, where he will be one of the guests alongside the women's defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
The extra day will allow Alcaraz to extend his recovery period from the forearm injury. He is also expected to kick off his title defense on Saturday, April 27.