Carlos Alcaraz faces race against time to be fit for French Open - 'I need to listen'

Carlos Alcaraz will play no part in the after he was forced to withdraw through injury - and faces a race against time to be fit for the

The Spanish number three, winner of four Grand Slam titles, injured his hamstring and groin during the second set of Sunday's Barcelona Open final. did complete the match, but fell to a straight-sets defeat to Holger Rune. Prior to his surprise loss against Rune, Alcaraz had been bidding to win a second title in a row following his Monte Carlo Masters triumph earlier this month.

He confirmed on Thursday that he will be sidelined for his home tournament, which he has won twice, with the start of his French Open title defence at Roland Garros just one month away.

The Madrid Open initially posted on social media, announcing his absence: “Our two-time champion @carlosalcaraz announced on Thursday that he is unable to play the 2025 #MMOPEN due to an injury. Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you back here next year!”

Alcaraz then confirmed his issues, but says he is hopeful he'll be good to go when the French Open rolls around.

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"In a week or two I shall return to training, but I will take it step by step," Alcaraz said. "I couldn't practice the entire week. I needed to listen to my body and make the right decision.

"On Monday I'll have more medical tests and after that we will have a better idea on how long I'll be out.

"It hurts me not to be able to play here in Madrid in front of my people, my friends and my family."

"I don't want to get too far ahead but I hope to go back to court and start practising in a couple of weeks. I shall be ready for the French Open.

"It's not an easy decision because Madrid is the first tournament I have ever been to as a young kid, it's the most special place for me to play. But (prioritising Roland Garros) was a big part of my decision to stop and recover properly.”

Alcaraz was seeded second in Madrid, behind Alexander Zverev, and was drawn in the same half as Novak Djokovic. He had been due to play his first match on Friday.

The 21-year-old has four grand-slam titles. He followed up his US Open triumph in 2022 with consecutive titles at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024.

He also defeated Zverev in last year’s French Open final.