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BREAKING NEWS: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is OUT of Australian Open with leg injury: Rafael Nadal promoted to top seed as he seeks back-to-back Grand Slam titles
- The Spanish star injured his right hamstring with an ‘unnatural movement’ in training
- The 19-year-old was due to play his first game on January 11.
- The injury comes after he missed time with an abdominal muscle tear in November.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will miss the Australian Open due to a leg injury.
The 19-year-old Spaniard, who won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, revealed that he suffered a muscle injury in his right leg during pre-season training.
‘I worked hard to reach my best level in Australia. Unfortunately I won’t be able to play either the Care A2+ Kooyong (warm-up event) or the Australian Open’, Alcaraz posted on social media on Friday.
“It is a hard moment, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look ahead. See you at the Australian Open 2024.’
Alcaraz (pictured in action in the United Arab Emirates last month) explained that he strained his right hamstring with an “unnatural movement” in training.
The 19-year-old had a stellar year in 2022, beating Casper Ruud to take the US Open title.
Alcaraz explained that he contracted the injury “through a fortuitous and unnatural movement in training” that caused him to injure the semimembranosus muscle in his right hamstring.
Alcaraz’s withdrawal means that his compatriot, reigning champion Rafael Nadal, will be promoted to the top seed to defend his title when the first Grand Slam of the year begins in Melbourne on January 16.
The 19-year-old was sidelined for weeks with a torn abdominal wall muscle in early November, preventing him from competing in the ATP Finals that month.
Alcaraz missed several weeks of action in November due to an abdominal injury, but returned in time to compete in Abu Dhabi last month (pictured)
He recovered in time to compete at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi last month, where he lost to Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-1.
Alcaraz was due to play his first match in Australia on January 11 at the Tennis Plays for Peace charity event at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, site of the Open.
He had a stellar year in 2022, winning the US Open men’s singles crown and becoming the youngest man to top the year-end ATP world rankings.
The teenager’s absence from the Australian Open also follows the withdrawals last year of women’s champion Ash Barty, seven-time champion Serena Williams and six-time men’s champion Roger Federer.
Dual Open winner and former world number 1 Naomi Osaka also has extreme doubts, having not played since September and has not participated in any of the previous summer events in Australia.
The open draw takes place at Melbourne Park on January 12.