Carlos Alcaraz will not compete at the 2026 Rotterdam Open, withdrawing from the event after his win at the Australian Open.
At the start of his tennis career, Alcaraz used to travel to South America to compete at the Golden Swing. That was until 2024, when he badly injured his ankle at the Rio Open and changed his schedule for the following season.
In 2025, Alcaraz travelled to Rotterdam, Netherlands, after losing in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic. He had about two weeks to recover, and that decision turned out to be a great one, as it kick-started his season. The Spaniard won the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, beating the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur along the way.
This year, Alcaraz planned to compete at the Rotterdam Open, which starts on February 9th, as well. However, this year, his plans changed after winning the Australian Open final against Djokovic.
The Australian Open final was played on February 1st, and with the Rotterdam Open starting only a week later on a completely different continent, it would be difficult for Alcaraz to make it to the Netherlands and compete in this ATP 500 event.
That's why he chose to rest instead of rushing to compete in Rotterdam. The tournament organizers announced his withdrawal through a post on their social media profiles.
"Carlos Alcaraz won't defend his title in Rotterdam. The Australian Open champion concluded that after his exertions over the past two weeks, he needs more time to return to action. We wish Carlos a swift recovery."
Alcaraz should return to action at the Qatar Open in Doha, which is also an ATP 500 tournament. The Qatar Open starts on February 16th, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic on the entry list for the event as well.
Alcaraz assesses his chances of completing the Calendar Grand Slam
Alcaraz completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open. He has previously won every other major twice. Therefore, he was asked whether he thinks he could complete a Calendar Grand Slam this year. The Spaniard admitted that he sees it as an incredible challenge.
"It's going to be a big challenge. Those are big words. I just want it to be one at a time. Right now, the next one is the French Open. I have great memories in that tournament. I feel really special every time that I go there."
"So I don't want to put myself in a really pressure position to have to do it, but it's going to be great. Right now I will try to be ready, to work hard, to just recover and practice well to play a good tournament in the next Grand Slam."
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