Carlos Alcaraz out of Barcelona Open with wrist injury after battling through first-round win

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the 2026 Barcelona Open because of a right wrist injury after struggling to victory in his opening-round victory against Otto Virtanen.

The world No. 2 defeated his Finnish opponent 6-4 6-2 despite appearing to have an issue with his wrist and forearm that resulted in him calling over a physio during a changeover.

On Wednesday, the tournament announced that Alcaraz had withdrawn "after undergoing a test on his right wrist this morning."

"We wish you a speedy recovery and hope we can enjoy watching you play again soon!" organisers wrote on X.

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Following his victory over Virtanen, Alcaraz said that he should have rested before taking to the court again after going head-to-head with his bitter rival Jannik Sinner in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Sunday.

That left the Spanish star with a two-day turnaround before his clash with Virtanen but he insisted that playing in Barcelona was too exciting an opportunity to turn down.

”I’m not afraid to say that maybe this week is the one where I should rest,” he said. "We played a Masters 1000 tournament the first week, then we have Madrid and Rome and then Roland-Garros.

”This week is the one where I should take a break but Barcelona is a very special place for me.”

Alcaraz was scheduled to face Tomas Machac in the next round after the world No. 47 battled back from a set down to beat Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.

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Alcaraz's defeat against Sinner on Sunday resulted in the Italian leapfrogging him into the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.

Sinner is not competing at the 2026 Barcelona Open after a busy month that also saw him win Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

However, Alcaraz may not be so lucky. He could still compete at the Madrid Open from April 22 onward.

The 22-year-old might also defend his Italian Open crown between May 6 and May 17, before getting his French Open campaign underway on May 24, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Alcaraz said he only had an hour on the court in Barcelona before facing Virtanen.

”Well, to be honest, it’s been tough, it’s been a bit of a struggle,” he added.

”In the end, my first contact with Barcelona was this morning, for about an hour, and then I had to jump right onto the court to compete and the conditions are completely different.

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”It was a little difficult, especially at the beginning, to get into a good rhythm, a good rhythm, but little by little I think we started feeling better, adapting more and more to the conditions in Barcelona and ending up playing at a good level.

”It’s just discomfort, discomfort that pops up, considering the few days I’ve had to recover, when everything has been practically back-to-back, so in the end things come up in some unusual movements.

”We’ve tried to calm ourselves down, try to keep going, and above all, be more relaxed, especially in the second set, and see what happens. Now the physio will see me, we’ll talk with the team, and we’ll see.

”It’s a discomfort I’ve had before, which has never led to anything more serious, so let’s hope it’s the same this time.”

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TNT Sports is the exclusive French Open broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Coverage of every court will be available to watch live on HBO Max

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