Tennis
World number one Carlos Alcaraz has to cancel his participation in the Australian Open due to an injury. The 19-year-old US Open winner announced this on Twitter on Friday. Alcaraz suffered a muscle injury in his right leg and will therefore be absent from the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins on January 16.
“When I was at my best in preparation, I sustained an injury in training. This time it’s the semimembranosus muscle in my right leg,” Alcaraz wrote on Twitter, adding: “I’ve worked so hard to get my best level for Australia. (…) It’s tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look ahead.”
Alcaraz had already stopped an injury at the end of last season. After an abdominal muscle injury, he had to pass for the ATP Finals of the top eight professionals of the season in Turin and the Davis Cup finals. The Spaniard left it open how long the new injury will put him out of action.
The young star had his big breakthrough last year. On the ATP tour he won the tournaments in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid, and in September he celebrated his first Grand Slam title by triumphing at the US Open.