World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is out of the Australian Open due to a right leg injury. The 19-year-old Spaniard, who last year became the youngest player to finish the year at No.1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings would have been No. 1 in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. Alcaraz tweeted: “When I was at my best in pre-season, I was injured by a random and unnatural movement in training. This time it’s the semimembranosus muscle of my right leg. I worked very hard to be at my best in Australia, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Care A2+ Kooyong or the Australian Open. It’s hard, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look ahead. See you in 2024 @AustralianOpen” The withdrawal puts Alcaraz’s hold on the world No. 1 in jeopardy, with Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic all having a chance to climb to the top spot on Monday after the Australian Open. Despite his breakout season, Alcaraz had a frustrating end to 2022, being forced to withdraw from the Rolex Paris Masters quarterfinals with a torn internal oblique muscle that also ruled him out of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. On September 12, Alcaraz became the youngest world No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He finished 2022 with a 57-13 record and five tour-level titles, including his first two ATP Masters 1000 victories (Miami and Madrid) and his first Grand Slam trophy at the US Open. Last year Alcaraz lost 7-6 in the fifth set to Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Australian Open.
Medvedev opens up on Alcaraz
During the press conference, Daniil Medvedev was asked about World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz’s absence from the 2023 Australian Open. “It’s a pity. I’m not exactly sure what he has, if it’s a little bit the consequence of a previous injury or just a new one. I’m not his team, so I have no idea. It’s a pity. He’s one of the best players in the world. We played once (Wimbledon 2021), but he was not at the same level. We might not even count it,” the Russian stated. “I would be happy to play him. Feeling in my best form. Yeah, the way he played at 18 years old, he could be a little bit kind of Rafa, Novak, Roger kind of guy. But he still has 19 slams to win, so it’s a pity that he doesn’t play the next Slam. Would be fun to watch. I’m sure he’s going to come back stronger,” he said.