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Carlos Alcaraz was forced to pull out of the 2026 Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury, and the Spanish icon may need to take a harsh but important lesson from the setback.

The world No 2 was due to face Tomas Machac in his second round match in Barcelona on Thursday, but the tournament’s biggest star pulled out on Wednesday after undergoing a test on his right wrist and cancelling his scheduled practice session.

At a press conference, Alcaraz confirmed his withdrawal and shared the concerning news that his injury was “more serious” than anticipated.

“It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future,” he said during the press conference. “With great sadness, I have to return home and recover as quickly as possible for the upcoming tournaments.”

Alcaraz suffered the injury on Tuesday during his opening match at the ATP 500 event — a 6-4, 6-2 win against Otto Virtanen.

When leading 5-4 in the first set, Alcaraz called for the tournament physio and received treatment on his right wrist and forearm area during the changeover. He was heard telling the physio he had felt a “sharp” pain and that he was experiencing discomfort when he hit forehands.

Alcaraz being forced out of Barcelona is a blow in itself, but his revelation about the seriousness of the injury means it could have far more significant consequences.

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While any injury can be considered unfortunate, this untimely setback may force Alcaraz to re-evaluate his approach to scheduling during the clay-court season.

The Madrid Masters, which is the biggest tournament in Alcaraz’s home nation, is set to begin in less than a week, and the Spaniard’s participation is now far from certain.

Alcaraz is then due to play at the Italian Open — another prestigious Masters 1000 event — which will be held from 5 to 17 May.

The clay-court season concludes with the second Grand Slam tournament of the year: the French Open, where main draw action begins on 24 May.

It is a gruelling task to play a clay-court schedule of Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and the French Open — particularly since Madrid and Rome were both expanded from one-week to become 12-day events.

Alcaraz’s desire to play on home soil in both Barcelona and Madrid is entirely understandable, but the calendar arguably makes this too demanding if he has already competed in Monte Carlo.

The seven-time major champion’s win over Virtanen was his sixth match in just eight days after his run to the Monte Carlo Masters final last week.

While the Barcelona Open is a prestigious tournament, it is a level below Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, and its position between Monte Carlo and Madrid is a period where Alcaraz could take a much-needed opportunity to rest — something his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, is currently doing.

Barcelona is, therefore, the obvious clay-court event for Alcaraz to sacrifice. After his match on Tuesday, Alcaraz acknowledged this himself.

“I’m not afraid to say that maybe this week is the one where I should rest,” he admitted. “We played a Masters 1000 tournament the first week, then we have Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros.”

The warning signs about this part of the calendar were there for Alcaraz last year, when he won the Monte Carlo Masters before suffering an injury in the Barcelona final that forced him out of Madrid.

The hope for Alcaraz and his fans is that his wrist injury does not cost him another chance to play in Madrid this year, or worse, impact his French Open hopes.

READ NEXT: ATP Madrid Open 2026 Entry List: Alcaraz set to star; will Sinner, Djokovic & Draper play?

The post Why Carlos Alcaraz’s Barcelona Open injury withdrawal may be a harsh but crucial lesson appeared first on Tennis365.

Former world No 1 doubles champion Jamie Murray has announced his retirement from tennis, with the seven-time Grand Slam champion following his brother Andy into the tennis afterlife.

The announcement comes as the elder of the two great Murray brothers has made his moves into different areas of the sport, with his role as Tournament Director at The Queen’s Club combined with an increasingly high-profile broadcasting career.

In a post on social media, he said: “My tennis journey comes to an end after 36 years. I feel very fortunate and privileged for all the amazing experiences this great sport has given me.

“Thanks Mum, Dad, Andy, Ale, Alan, Louis and Thomas for all your incredible support, efforts and sacrifices throughout my career that allowed me to achieve everything I could in the game.

“For everybody else that’s helped and supported me – I appreciate all of you!”

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Murray leaves the game with a glittering legacy, with the story of how he nearly quit the sport in his teenage years highlighting how this story could have had a very different ending.

A highly promising junior player who was being tipped to go all the way to the top as a singles player, he competed against a young Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet in his formative days.

British tennis chiefs quickly identified his potential and he moved away from his Scottish homeland as he joined the LTA network and looked to take his game to the next level.

A combination of homesickness and a change to his forehand that backfired saw him return home and give up the game for a period, as he revealed in next week’s episode of the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.

“I was definitely one of the best in the world at 10, 11, 12,” said Murray

“I mean, I was winning a lot of the European tournaments that the LTA would take us to. I was competing with guys like Gasquet and Nadal. They were my age group. They were probably a little bit better than me at that time.

“They were opening up these regional centres for coaching and I went to Cambridge because there was other kids my age there and I knew them all because we were always playing tournaments together.

“It didn’t work out for me at all. I was in a separate school to the kids I knew and the ones I was with didn’t have my lifestyle or interests.

“Then the coaching just didn’t work out for me, which was a shame. They tried to change my forehand and I got massive, like complex about that, which I never really got over and that’s kind of on me, really.

“I guess I figured out how to make that work in order to make a career in tennis. You know, doubles was the way for me to do that. I was not going to be able to play singles with the forehand.

“I basically lost all confidence in the forehand and it was like a really yippy shot for me. And I was like really self-conscious of it through my career. At that point, I basically went home and gave up tennis for about eight or nine months.”

Jamie returned and enjoyed some doubles success with his brother Andy before he went on to win two men’s Doubles titles with Bruno Soares and also claim five Mixed doubles titles at Grand Slam level.

His proudest moment may have come when he played alongside his brother in Britain’s memorable Davis Cup win in 2015, with the ties the duo played in front of their Scottish fans in Glasgow among the most memorable in his career.

He leaves the sport with a fine legacy and a prominent voice that will continue in his role as a commentator as a tournament director.

READ NEXT: Jamie Murray lands prestigious LTA role as he looks to life after tennis

The post Jamie Murray retires: How the once great junior quit tennis – and then became a Grand Slam champion appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open after experiencing wrist pain during his opening-round match at the ATP 500 event.

The Spaniard collected a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Finn Otto Virtanen during his first Barcelona match, but appeared extremely worried at the end of the first set.

Alcaraz received a medical timeout and was treated around his forearm and wrist area – saying, in Spanish, that he was experiencing pain every time he hit a forehand.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal mans that Tomas Machac will move into the quarter-finals and will next play either Andrey Rublev or Lorenzo Sonego.

“It’s a more serious injury than we all expected, and I have to listen to my body so it doesn’t affect me in the future,” the Spaniard stated during his withdrawal press conference.

“With great sadness, I have to return home and recover as quickly as possible for the upcoming tournaments.”

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Less than 24 hours prior to his arrival in Barcelona, Alcaraz had competed in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he was the defending champion.

Unfortunately for the six-time Grand Slam champion, it was rival Jannik Sinner who was victorious 7-6(5), 6-3 – the Italian’s first clay-court Masters 1000 title.

Additionally, Sinner’s trophy lift allowed him to leapfrog Alcaraz’s ranking and retake the world No 1 spot for the first time since mid-2025.

After his first-round victory, he sought to quell any concerns during his press conference and compared it to forearm pain, which he had experienced during the clay-court season two years ago.

“It’s just discomfort, discomfort that pops up, considering the few days I’ve had to recover, when everything has been practically back-to-back, so in the end things come up in some unusual movements,” the world No 2 stated.

“We’ve tried to calm ourselves down, try to keep going, and above all, be more relaxed, especially in the second set, and see what happens.

“It’s a discomfort I’ve had before, which has never led to anything more serious, so let’s hope it’s the same this time.”

Aside from his injury woes, the Spaniard also commented on the struggles of sticking to his schedule – given his Monaco success.

“Well, to be honest, it’s been tough, it’s been a bit of a struggle,” he stated.

“In the end, my first contact with Barcelona was this morning, for about an hour, and then I had to jump right onto the court to compete, and the conditions are completely different.”

The Barcelona Open withdrawal also means that Alcaraz will drop 255 ranking points, after having made the showpiece match at last year’s edition (losing out to Holger Rune).

Monte-Carlo Masters champion Jannik Sinner will now enter the Madrid Masters with a 390-point lead at the top of the rankings.

Neither played in the Spanish capital last season, meaning – if both participate – there is a full 1000 ranking points on offer.

The Madrid Masters takes place from April 22 – May 3, and will feature a 128-player draw.

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Jon Wertheim has revealed that the biggest fight that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ever had was over a proposed change to the ATP’s ranking system.

Despite their fierce on-court battles, Federer and Nadal were known for maintaining a respectful relationship away from competition, becoming closer as the years went by.

The disagreement centred on the ATP rankings system, a topic that has long divided opinion among players. The structure plays a crucial role in scheduling, seeding, and overall career progression.

At the time, there were discussions about potentially changing the system from a 12-month rolling format to a longer-term model, a shift which would have had significant implications across the tour.

Currently, players ‘defend’ points from their results 12 months prior, meaning that – if they don’t do as well – they drop down the rankings.

“The biggest fight I think [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal ever had, one of their few disputes, was when Rafa and his camp were trying to lobby for a two-year rolling ranking,” he said whilst speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.

“Whether that was because of injuries or because there were additional points…

“It is a little confusing to the casual fan, seeing he got to the final, why would his ranking drop. And then sometimes you say, ‘That guy lost in the second round, how can his ranking go up?’

“Also, the thing with a rolling ranking over 52 weeks is that it’s a nice way to make sure that players re-enter the tournament they won the previous year.

“It’s a nice way for tournaments to make sure the defending champion doesn’t beg off, and they can build a bit of brand equity.

“I think overall it’s fair. Yes, there are some counterintuitive results sometimes.

“Pete Sampras finished year-end number one six years in a row, which I think is an underrated record of his, because it’s wire to wire.

“Sinner did not play Madrid last year, so he doesn’t have to win the tournament, and his ranking will go up.

“I think on balance, I can’t imagine a better system overall.”

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As the long-time tennis commentator mentioned, Nadal had a unique insight into the challenges of a 12-month ranking system, given his long injury record.

Over his career, the Spaniard was forced to miss 18 Grand Slams due to physical discomfort, 15 more than rival Novak Djokovic.

In 2017, after an injury-plagued 2016 season, Nadal had risen back up to the world No 1 spot, but argued that the ranking system should consider results completed over 24 months, rather than 12.

“I’ve said in the past it [the schedule] didn’t work, but it will be better to have a ranking for two years,” he said.

“Two-year ranking, not one-year ranking. That’s going to protect the players and help the players to have periods to find windows for rest.

“Having a one-year ranking, it’s always that if you want to be in a good position in the ranking, you cannot rest much.”

For example, an injured player may not be as likely to participate in a tournament, when injured, if their most recent result still stood for another 12 months.

Meanwhile, six years prior to the Spaniard’s comment, Federer had warned against any change to the rankings system – arguing that it would make it harder for any lower-ranked players to make a breakthrough.

“I’m not a big fan of it, just because I think it would make things rather boring, but that’s my personal opinion,” he commented.

“Other than that, as the president of the player council, I think it’s not a good thing for the lower-ranked players.

“It’s going to be a struggle for them to make a big breakthrough; it’s going to take them multiple breakthroughs, so the dream of having one great tournament and making a move, in my opinion, is never going to happen.

“If we had a two-year ranking, things would be so slow, and nothing would really move.

“I can’t support it as the president of the player council. I have to look at all the players in the eye.

“I know it could be a good thing for me, or Rafa, or other good players, because for us to move down in the rankings, it would take something extraordinary, but for the lower-ranked players, I don’t think it would be a good thing, and that’s why I can’t support it.”

The post Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s ‘biggest fight’ finally disclosed by tennis expert appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis icon Boris Becker has spoken of his respect for what Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are achieving, while he also issued a warning about Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz and Sinner have established a duopoly at the Grand Slam tournaments, with the duo having collected all of the last nine major titles between them (with Alcaraz winning five and Sinner winning four).

Djokovic was the last player other than Alcaraz and Sinner to secure a Slam title, with the legendary Serb having won his record-extending 24th major at the 2023 US Open. The 38-year-old sits fourth in the ATP Rankings despite playing a limited schedule.

Becker coached Djokovic to six Grand Slams and 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles during a hugely fruitful partnership from December 2013 to December 2016.

Speaking to reporters at an event for the Laureus Awards, Becker argued Djokovic should never be discounted when asked about the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner.

“First of all, let me express my admiration and respect for what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing, having just shared nine Grand Slam titles between them. And Carlos is only 22 and Jannik is 24,” said the former world No 1.

“But, on the other hand, I really want to see other players come and challenge them. I’m thinking of [Alexander] Zverev. He served for the match in the Australian Open semi-finals against Alcaraz. It was very close.

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“And we mustn’t forget Djokovic. As long as he’s playing, we must never forget him. He operates in a rather unique sphere, with his record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

“He was even in the final in Melbourne. Truly, as long as he is a professional tennis player, he will be a force to be reckoned with.”

The six-time Grand Slam champion also weighed in on Sinner and Alcaraz’s importance to tennis and compared the duo to Ivan Lendl and himself.

“Sinner and Alcaraz are like ice and fire, like the relationship between Lendl and me,” said the German.

“I find Alcaraz a fascinating player. He’s exactly what tennis needs. He’s charismatic, a joy to watch, a true artist of the game. I don’t see any weaknesses in him.

“But artists need a source of inspiration, and I think Sinner is his. Because if the matches become too easy for him, I’m afraid he’ll start to get bored. But he’s only 22, and the sky’s the limit.”

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz makes ‘rest’ admission as busy schedule starts to take its toll

The post Boris Becker issues ‘unique’ Novak Djokovic warning to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Alex Eala missed an opportunity to climb the WTA Rankings as she suffered a one-sided defeat in her opening match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

The Filipina star was beaten 6-1, 6-4 by world No 25 Leylah Fernandez at the indoor clay-court WTA 500 event in Stuttgart on Tuesday.

World No 45 Eala was broken twice as Fernandez raced to a 5-0 lead en route to closing the opening set out in dominant fashion.

Fernandez secured two more breaks as she surged to a 5-2 advantage in the second set before she was broken for the only time when she served for the match.

Eala then saved two match points on her own serve at 3-5, but her 23-year-old Canadian opponent took her second opportunity to serve the match out.

In what was her first encounter with fellow left-hander Fernandez, Eala won just 46 of the 109 points (42%).

Fernandez will face either fifth seed Jasmine Paolini or qualifier Zeynep Sonmez in the second round in Stuttgart.

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Eala’s Stuttgart Open prize money and ranking points

Eala’s first round exit in Stuttgart has seen her earn $13,211 in prize money and collect a single WTA ranking point.

The 20-year-old started the week as the world No 45, and she is now 44th in the Live WTA Rankings on 1,285 points.

If Eala had won her opening match, she would have collected 60 points — which would have lifted her to a projected ranking of 38th.

A run to the quarter-finals in Stuttgart would have earned Eala 108 points and seen her climb as high as 32nd in the Live Rankings.

Eala reached her career-high ranking of world No 29 last month after her run to the fourth round at the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells.

WTA Stuttgart prize money and ranking points breakdown

Champion: €161,310 ($188,438) | 500 ranking points
Finalist: €99,565 ($116,309) | 325 ranking points
Semi-finalists: €57,395 ($67,047) | 195 ranking points
Quarter-finalists: €30,435 ($35,553) | 108 ranking points
Round of 16: €15,690 ($18,329) | 60 ranking points
First round: €11,309 ($13,211) | 1 ranking point

What next for Eala?

Eala is next scheduled to compete at the Madrid Open — the first clay-court WTA 1000 tournament of the season — which will begin on 21 April.

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The post Alex Eala: What ranking points & prize money did Filipina star earn at Stuttgart Open after 1R exit? appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a minor injury scare as he defeated Otto Virtanen to progress in the Barcelona Open.

Just a few days after losing the Monte Carlo final, Alcaraz was back in action as he competed in his home tournament and the scoreline may not reflect the difficulty he endured on court.

While the world No 130 Virtanen provided as much of a challenge as to be expected, Alcaraz’s main problem was with his own fitness and an issue with his right wrist.

With the score at 5-4 in Alcaraz’s favour, the physio was called on to the court to examine Alcaraz’s hand before taping his wrist. The match is Alcaraz’s sixth in eight days and his body may be showing signs of that packed schedule.

He did however overcome that to defeat Virtanen in 1 hour and 25 minutes, setting up a round of 16 match against Tomas Machac. Their head-to-head record is tied at one apiece but the pair have never faced each other on clay.

Afterwards, he said: “It feels great to be back. To get another win here in Barcelona in front of my people, my everything. I missed playing here in Barcelona. I tried to adapt my game as good as I can. It wasn’t easy. This morning was my first practice here. That with the conditions, different conditions than Monte Carlo.

“But overall I’m just really happy with the way I played and solved the problems I had in the first set. I ended up playing great tennis. Hopefully in the next round feeling a little bit better. Let’s see how it’s gonna be.”

On the injury, Alcaraz said he hoped it was “nothing” and just a reflection of a switch to clay.

“I have had little time between tournaments and clay is one of the most demanding surfaces,” he said.

“Small issues and discomfort always appear in the body. I will look at it with my physio and my team, and hopefully it is nothing.”

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Tennis great Justine Henin has assessed that Carlos Alcaraz was “powerless” in his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters final.

Alcaraz was denied a second successive Monte Carlo title as he lost 7-6(5), 6-3 to Sinner at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

It was the first meeting between the dominant duo in 2026, and Sinner’s victory saw him overtake Alcaraz in the rankings to become world No 1 for the first time this year.

The head-to-head is now 10-7 in Alcaraz’s favour, with Sinner having won the last two encounters and three of the last four completed matches.

After the match, Alcaraz said: “We have seen Jannik’s level on clay and I think he’s been improving a lot year by year.

“I think he’s reaching a level on clay that is going to be really dangerous for everybody. I’m not surprised at all, because we could see last year in Roland Garros the level he played. He just played better than me.”

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Speaking to Eurosport France, Henin had some words of caution for Alcaraz as she gave her verdict on the Spaniard’s respect for Sinner.

“Beyond the title slipping away and the No 1 ranking, it’s in the relationship with Jannik that this match can have an impact,” said the Belgian, who won seven Grand Slam titles.

“In Alcaraz’s post-match comments, I sensed respect but also a kind of admiration for the new world No 1.

“Respect him, yes, but we also need to try to find new ways to win. I sensed Alcaraz was powerless, not lost, but powerless in the face of what Sinner is achieving.”

The former world No 1 added: “Of course it’s impressive [what Sinner is achieving], but it might do Alcaraz some good and give him energy on the road to Roland Garros.

“How will he cope psychologically?”

Alcaraz is in action this week at the Barcelona Open — an ATP 500 tournament he is aiming to win for the third time after victories in 2022 and 2023. The 22-year-old was a runner-up at last year’s edition, losing to Holger Rune.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner sent messages by Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic after Monte Carlo Masters triumph

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Carlos Alcaraz has made the commitment to play a full clay swing this season but could it cause him issues later down the line?

Having lost to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final, Alcaraz made the commitment to play the full clay season, something he admitted was the goal last year.

“The main goal is to play the full clay season calendar. Let’s see how it’s gonna be. It was the goal last year, as well, and unfortunately, I couldn’t because I was injured,” Alcaraz said after losing to Sinner on Sunday.

“We are touching wood and praying that nothing’s going to happen to my body.”

The clay season though is a particularly gruelling part of the year. Days after the Monte Carlo tournament, Alcaraz will begin his defence of the Barcelona Open, a tournament that could add a further five matches to his schedule.

After Barcelona, Alcaraz will head south to Madrid for potentially another six matches and then Rome for the six matches of the Italian Open.

The clay season climaxes with Roland Garros, adding another seven matches to Alcaraz’s schedule.

If Alcaraz keeps his commitment and makes the final of every tournament, he will come away from the clay season with 29 matches under his belt. By comparison, Alcaraz played 23 clay matches last year and had injury problems later in the season.

The risk of injury is not lost on Alcaraz either but he believes he understands his body better now than he did 12 months ago.

“I feel my body is much better than last year. If I’m gonna skip one, I will skip one tournament. If my body stays healthy, I’m going to do whatever it takes to be healthy and take care of my body,” he said.”

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“If I do’t have any problems, I will play everything on clay. Let’s see how it’s gonna be in the next few weeks. I don’t know how it’s gonna be, the matches, if I’m gonna win matches, if I’m gonna lose in the first rounds, if the matches are going to be super demanding physically or not, so I don’t know how it’s gonna be, but what I can tell right now is I will hear my body much better this year than last year.”

This is also coming from a player who has complained about the ATP tour schedule being too tightly packed.

“I agree with Iga,” Alcaraz said after Iga Świątek voiced her concerns. “I think that the schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule. I think there are too many mandatory tournaments, too many in a row.

“They put in some rules that we have to play Masters 1000s, 500 tournaments, whatever it is. But there are too many rules that we as tennis players are not allowed to have a choice if we have to play or not.

“To be honest, I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournaments just to maintain my physical condition and good shape. Obviously it’s more than the physical condition.

“I think mentally it’s really demanding as well, playing so many mandatory tournaments in a row or playing so many tournaments without having days to rest up mentally. I will consider skipping some mandatory tournaments to the benefit of myself mentally. I agree with Iga and I think a lot of players are going to do that.”

The most matches Alcaraz has ever played in a year was the 80 of last year but Alcaraz could be on 48 for this year by the end of the clay season alone.

The competition with Sinner for No 1 means neither player can spend too long away from the court but both could pay the price come later in the year.

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Jannik Sinner remains on the entry list of the Madrid Open, but things could change in the coming days following his successful title run at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The four-time Grand Slam winner continued his incredible form at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments as he won his fourth-consecutive event at this level with three of those trophies coming in the past two months.

Following his success at the Paris Masters last November when he won the event without dropping a set, Sinner won 12 matches in a row – again without conceding a set – across the Sunshine Double as he collected the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open trophies in March.

He then followed it up with the Monte Carlo title, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final – although his run of consecutive sets was ended by Tomas Machac in the round of 16 – with the win helping him to regain No 1 spot in the ATP Rankings.

While Alcaraz and several of the Italian’s other top-10 rivals are in action in either Barcelona or Munich this week, Sinner has decided to take a break with his next event the Madrid Open.

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“It’s all been pretty hectic, so now it’ll be nice to have a few days off the court,” the 24-year-old told Italian media after securing his eighth ATP Masters trophy.

But it remains to be seen if the Italian will travel to Spain for the second clay-court ATP 1000 tournament of the season as he added: “I’ll take two or three days off, then I’ll evaluate with my team whether to go to Madrid or not.”

No Points To Defend

Sinner’s Monte Carlo Masters title run saw him to move ahead of Alcaraz in the rankings, but the battle for the No 1 spot is far from over as he leads the Spaniard by just 110 points.

However, Alcaraz will drop 330 points in Barcelona this week as he finished runner-up to Holger Rune 12 months ago, putting 440 points behind the Italian, and the only way for him to regain top spot is to win the tournament.

Should Alcaraz stay within touching distance, then the top spot will again be up for grabs at the Madrid Open and it will be a straight shootout if they both compete as neither featured in the Spanish capital last year.

Alcaraz, though, has already indicated that he plans to play in Madrid if he is 100% fit, while Sinner’s latest comments suggest he might not take part.

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