Carlos Alcaraz had enjoyed a strong start to his 2025 clay-court season, reaching two finals in two tournaments.
The world number three immediately found success on the clay earlier this month, as Alcaraz won the Monte-Carlo Masters, beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final.
Heading home, Alcaraz reached the final of the Barcelona Open, coming up short against Holger Rune in straight sets, 6-7, 2-6.
Alcaraz struggled with an injury during the latter stages of the match, leading many to question whether he’d be fit to return in Madrid.
The 21-year-old star has now withdrawn from the Madrid Open, and could potentially be at risk of missing the Italian Open and French Open over the coming months.
Carlos Alcaraz is ‘confident’ he’ll be fit for the French Open but is unsure of his participation in Rome
Speaking to the media after withdrawing from the Madrid Open, Alcaraz shared a vague timeline for his injury recovery.
“I’ll have another test on Monday to see how the injury has progressed,” he said.
“From there, we’ll assess the timeframe for the coming weeks. In a week or two, I’ll gradually return to training.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I think I’ll be confident [to return in time for], Roland Garros, and we’ll try to be in Rome.”
The 2025 Italian Open is set to begin in 11 days, before the French Open gets underway in just over a month.
- 2025 Italian Open: May 5 – May 18
- 2025 French Open: May 25 – June 8
Guaranteed to skip this year’s Madrid Open tournament, Alcaraz will complete another ATP Tour season without playing all three Masters tournaments on clay.
| Year | Monte-Carlo Masters | Madrid Open | Italian Open |
| 2025 | Won | Will not play | – |
| 2024 | Did not play | Lost in QF | Did not play |
| 2023 | Did not play | Won | Lost in 3R |
| 2022 | Lost in 2R | Won | Did not play |
| 2021 | Did not play | Lost in 2R | Did not play |
Injuries hampered Alcaraz’s 2024 clay season, as he appeared in just one Masters tournament in the lead-up to Roland Garros, losing to Andrey Rublev in the Madrid Open quarterfinals.
A lack of match practice didn’t hurt him in the French capital, however, when Alcaraz won the French Open, beating Alexander Zverev in the final.
The Spaniard will no doubt be hoping to do the same in 2025, when he returns from injury.
Jiri Lehecka and Alex de Minaur could take advantage of Carlos Alcaraz’s Madrid Open withdrawal
Alcaraz’s absence will be felt in Madrid, but there are two players who will certainly be looking to take advantage.
Czech star Jiri Lehecka reached the semi-finals of last year’s tournament and will try to defend 400 of his 1,795 points this time around.
Having been drawn in the same section of the draw as Alcaraz, the 23-year-old’s chances of doing so looked slim, as the pair were set to potentially face off in the third round.
Lehecka may have breathed a sigh of relief hearing the news of Alcaraz’s withdrawal, with a path now opening up for him to reach the quarterfinals.
Jiri Lehecka’s route to the Madrid Open quarterfinals (By ranking)
- 2R – Cameron Norrie
- 3R – Zizou Bergs
- 4R – Grigor Dimitrov
The world number 27 won’t have to face a seeded player until round four, where he could come up against either Grigor Dimitrov or Tomas Machac.
Lehecka isn’t the only player primed to take advantage as Australia’s Alex de Minaur now looks a real threat to make a deep run in Madrid.
De Minaur lost to Musetti in the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and has made real strides on clay in 2025.
De Minaur and Alcaraz were potentially set to come up against one another in the Madrid Open quarterfinals, but the world number seven should now have a far easier route through to the last four.
Alex de Minaur’s route to the Madrid Open semi-finals (By ranking)
- 2R – Lorenzo Sonego
- 3R – Denis Shapovalov
- 4R – Lorenzo Musetti
- QF – Grigor Dimitrov
It remains to be seen if either Lehecka or De Minaur can take advantage of Alcaraz’s absence in Madrid, but it will certainly be something to look out for.
De Minaur will begin his Madrid Open campaign against either Lorenzo Sonego or Miomir Kecmanovic, and Lehecka will take on Martin Landaluce or Cameron Norrie on Saturday, April 26.
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