Carlos Alcaraz is confident he will be ready to defend his French Open title next month after pulling out of the Madrid Open because of a hamstring injury sustained last week in Barcelona.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I don’t want to take anything for granted, but I think we’ll be confident for Roland Garros and we’re going to try to be in Rome,” said Alcaraz.
After a strong start to the clay court season with his first Monte Carlo title, Alcaraz struggled with a right adductor injury during his defeat by Holger Rune in the Barcelona final on Sunday. Despite being in Madrid this week to promote the release of his new Netflix docuseries, Alcaraz was absent from the practice courts in the first four days of the tournament.
On Thursday, he confirmed his withdrawal, explaining that medical tests after the Barcelona final had further revealed a hamstring injury in his left leg.
“I also noticed an issue in my left leg when I had tests on Tuesday,” said Alcaraz. “I’ve been waiting, talking with my team, with the doctors, to see if I’d be able to play in good condition and without a job here in Madrid. I’ve done everything possible, everything in my power to make that happen, but things haven’t improved As you all suspected, because I can’t train these days for the final in Barcelona, I have to work on my adductor and right leg, but much over the last few days.”
Despite his frustration, Alcaraz believes his hamstring injury is not as severe as the right arm injury that forced him to withdraw during the Madrid Open last season and affected him up until the French Open last year.
“I’m not really worried about it,” he said. “I believe it’s going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won’t have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.”
