Alcaraz, who was supposed to play Auger-Aliassime, withdraws from Monte Carlo due to a forearm injury.

MONACO (AP) — Due to a right forearm muscle issue, two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters competition on Tuesday.

In just his second tournament appearance, the Wimbledon champion was slated to face Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal in the second round. He had to withdraw from the competition due to an injury last year as well.

Instead, Auger-Aliassime plays the fortunate loser Lorenzo Sonego of Italy.

Alcaraz had been training quietly while wearing straps on his arm.

Alcaraz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play.”

“I was eager to play,” the player said. I’ll see you in the next year.

The 20-year-old Spaniard defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final after reaching the French Open quarterfinals the previous year.

Alcaraz only has one trophy this year, which he won when he defended his title in Indian Wells and defeated former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final. This is after he won six titles the previous year.

After Auger-Aliassime prevailed in the first three encounters between the players, Alcaraz won the Indian Wells championship in both of their confrontations.

Against Sonego, Auger-Aliassime has a 2-1 record.