Carlos Alcaraz could not have asked for a better start to his 2026 season, with the star having made tennis history just one month into the new year.
Fresh off a career-best 2025 season for the world No 1, Alcaraz became the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam following his four-set triumph over Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
Victory for the 22-year-old means he now has a staggering seven Grand Slam titles to his name and has a commanding lead as the world No 1, with all signs pointing to another landmark season for the Spaniard.
However, on the back of his historic triumph in Melbourne, his return to court has rather unsurprisingly been delayed.
Why has his return been delayed?
Alcaraz was initially set to return to action just one week after his historic victory in Melbourne, with the Spaniard headlining the field at the Rotterdam Open, from February 9-15.
The Spaniard is the reigning champion at the ATP 500 tournament, having beaten Alex de Minaur in three sets to lift his first-ever indoor title at the event twelve months ago.
However, Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the tournament has now been confirmed, with the tournament releasing a brief statement on social media on Monday.
They wrote: “Carlos Alcaraz won’t defend his title in Rotterdam. The Australian Open champion concluded that after his exertions over the past two weeks, he needs more time to return to action.
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“We wish Carlos a swift recovery.”
The Spaniard’s decision is likely the right one, especially considering the physical and mental demands he has faced in recent weeks.
He will lose 500 ranking points when the ATP Rankings update post-event, though he will still hold a staggering 13,150 points — giving him a comfortable lead over world No 2 Jannik Sinner.
In Alcaraz’s absence, world No 4 Alexander Zverev is set to be the top seed at the tournament, with No 6 seed de Minaur — runner-up in the past two years — set to be the second seed.
What is Alcaraz’s next tournament?
Though he has now withdrawn from the Rotterdam Open, Alcaraz’s fans will not have to wait too long until the newly-crowned Australian Open champion returns to action.
The Spaniard is entered into the Qatar Open, an ATP 500 event set to take place from February 16-21 in Doha, following the conclusion of the WTA 1000 event in the city the previous week.
Alcaraz is in extremely good company at the tournament, with a stacked entry list set for the tournament.
He is currently in line to be joined by world No 2 Sinner and world No 3 Djokovic, in what will also be their first post-Australian Open tournaments.
Fellow top-10 stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Bublik are also currently entered into the event, as are former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Andrey Rublev.
Alcaraz entered the event in 2025 and reached the quarter-finals, beating Marin Cilic and Luca Nardi before a surprise three-set loss to Jiri Lehecka.
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