Carlos Alcaraz reveals his fitness status and his four main challengers for Madrid Open title

With the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz saying he is getting better “little by little” leading up to the competition, it appears that Alcaraz will play at the Madrid Open.

Due to a right forearm issue, the world No. 3 player withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters and missed his title defense at the Barcelona Open last week. He hasn’t played since losing in the Miami Open quarterfinal.

Alcaraz’s camp has stated that he is not hurt and is only uncomfortable during training sessions, but they have decided not to take any chances.

When Spanish tabloid Marca questioned the two-time Grand Slam winner about his forearm at the Laureus Sports Awards, he said, “I’m very good, we are better and little by little getting the best sensations.”

Alcaraz’s opening match is set for Friday, and he will either face Arthur Rinderknech or Alexander Shevchenko. Alcaraz receives a bye into the second round.

Despite the absence of tennis legend Novak Djokovic, the Madrid Open will once again feature a top-tier field.

With victories in the Australian Open, Rotterdam Open, and Miami Open, Jannik Sinner is ranked first and is the best player this year. Other players in the draw include Stefanos Tsitsipas, the winner of the Monte Carlo event, and Casper Ruud, the most recent champion of Barcelona.

When asked which player, including Australian and world No. 11 Alex de Minaur, is likely to win in Madrid, Alcaraz said that all three of them “are in very good shape.”

I hope so. Some players, like Ruud, Tsitsipas, Sinner, and De Minaur, are at the pinnacle of their game. Although every match is unique and anything can happen, there are tennis players who are in excellent shape, he remarked.

The Spanish are thrilled to see tennis legend Rafael Nadal return to action after missing the previous year’s clay-court season due to injury. However, the focus will not only be on Alcaraz in Madrid.

The residents are naturally dreaming of an Alcaraz-Nadal championship match.
Alcaraz remarked, “It would be amazing, for me and many others, it would be a dream final.”

But since going back into action at the start of the year, Rafael Nadal has only appeared in five matches. Three of those were in January, and his most recent match was in Barcelona, where he lost to De Minaur after defeating Fabio Cobolli in the opening round.

“Honestly, I don’t know much either, from what it shows he is fighting to try to be in the best possible shape,” the 20-year-old continued. Everyone was happy to see him on the court even though we all knew he wasn’t playing at his best when he was allowed to play in the Godo [Barcelona].