Carlos Alcaraz to take final call on whether to participate in the Italian Open amid injury setback

Carlos Alcaraz is set to make a late call on his Italian Open participation. The World No.3 was forced to pull out of the Madrid Open, owing to not one but two separate injuries, and may not be able to feature in the Masters 1000 in Rome. While he has returned to the practice court, a difficult decision lies in front of him, which is, whether to head to Italy to get some more match practice before the start of the French Open 2025 or take the cautious decision of opting out.

The 21-year-old started the clay season on a high. He emerged as the champion in Monte-Carlo and finished runner-up in Barcelona. But a right adductor injury that he sustained during the Barcelona Open concluder forced him to withdraw from the Madrid Open. Meanwhile, he also announced that he is suffering from a hamstring injury and said that he would undergo tests to figure out the severity of the injuries.

The results have brought good news for Carlos Alcaraz. According to Marca, the scans identified a small tear in his adductor muscle. Alcaraz has since returned to the practice courts at home in Murcia. He may increase the intensity of practice this week before deciding whether to play in the Italian Open or now.

If he opts to compete, Alcaraz will be expected to fly to Rome soon. The world No. 3 has little experience at the Foro Italico. He played only once in 2023 and suffered a shock third-round defeat. Nevertheless, Alcaraz isn't much concerned and has admitted that it won't be a big deal if he misses the Italian Open and goes straight to Paris.

“My confidence is high, the last two weeks have been good for me,” he said when he pulled out of Madrid.

“Mentally, I have the strength to play good tennis again. If I don't play before Roland Garros, I don't care. I have the confidence, and I know what my level is.”

The Italian Open has already suffered a huge blow as the biggest attraction of the game, Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the competition days after losing his opening match in Madrid. Having won 6 titles, this will be the first time in Djokovic's career that he will miss the tournament since making a debut in 2007.