Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Barcelona Open after suffering a wrist injury, dealing a blow to his clay court preparations. The top seed felt discomfort during his straight sets win over Finland’s Otto Virtanen in the opening round, and medical tests later confirmed the issue was more serious than first thought.

The 22 year old Spaniard had been set to face Tomas Machac but chose to step away to avoid further damage. The withdrawal comes just days after his loss to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo final, a result that saw the Italian reclaim the world number one ranking.

Alcaraz, a two time champion in Barcelona, had hoped to use the tournament to regain top spot, but his focus now shifts to recovery. With the French Open set to begin on May 18^th, he will be aiming to return to full fitness in time to chase a third straight title in Paris.