Carlos Alcaraz casts doubt on Madrid title defence

Bengaluru — World No 3 Carlos Alcaraz has cast doubt on his Madrid Open title defence later in April as the Spaniard nurses a right arm injury that has forced him to miss tune-up events for the French Open.

The 20-year-old successfully defended his Indian Wells title in March and then reached the Miami Open quarterfinals before sustaining the injury in his first practice session for the Monte Carlo Masters. The two-times Grand Slam champion was unable to play in Monaco and then had to pull out of the Barcelona Open.

“My feeling isn't right, but it is what it is. Now I’m fully focused on recovery and I have a little more time,” Alcaraz said in Barcelona on Monday, a day after he decided not to defend his title.

“My goal is to try to go to the Madrid Open, but at the moment nothing is certain. I was given specific recovery times and I've respected them, but I haven’t felt good. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

“I can’t say I’ll be 100% in Madrid, but that’s my intention. We’ll train and do everything we can so that the feelings improve so I can play a match. It’s also a very special tournament for me.”

Should he be unable to recover in time for the April 24-May 5 Masters tournament in Madrid, Alcaraz could still get some clay-court action in ahead of the French Open by competing in Rome the following week.

The main draw at the year’s second Grand Slam at Roland Garros begins on May 26. Alcaraz reached the semifinals in 2023.

Aryna Sabalenka said her clay-court preparations were in full swing ahead of her Stuttgart opener and the world No 2 is hoping for plenty of action ahead of the French Open.

The Australian Open champion has endured a difficult time after the apparent suicide of her former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, as she was gearing up to play in the Miami Open in March.

The 25-year-old Belarusian lost in the third round in Florida before switching her attention to clay with her sights on the year’s second Grand Slam in Paris.

Last year’s Roland Garros semifinalist told reporters she started her clay preparations straight after Miami.

“Stuttgart is a good place to start the clay season,” she said. “You’re slowly getting into this ‘clay mood’, sliding, playing long rallies. I like to play lots of tournaments before the Grand Slam, so I think it’s a good one to start with.

Sabalenka, who has finished runner-up in the previous three years at Stuttgart, meets good friend Paula Badosa on Wednesday in a rematch of the pair’s second-round Miami meeting.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek said she too was making the switch to the slower surface, having guided Poland into the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last week.

“I felt today that I can do the transition pretty quickly,” said the top-ranked Swiatek, who will take on Elise Mertens or Tatjana Maria.

“I’m not expecting that I’m going to feel comfortable from my first match because you always need some matches to just gain confidence on any surface, even if you feel comfortable on it.”

Reuters