Suffering from an injury, Carlos Alcaraz has expressed his “disappointment” following his withdrawal from the Spanish team participating in the Davis Cup Finals.
Alcaraz, presently holding the top spot in global rankings, shared that he’s been advised against participating due to inflammation in his right hamstring. This announcement follows his recent defeat by Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals on Sunday.
Spain is slated to compete against the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup quarter-finals, set to take place in Bologna, Italy, this Thursday.
Alcaraz, a Spanish athlete with six Grand Slam titles, including victories at the French and US Open this year, conveyed his emotions on Instagram, external. He described representing his nation as the “most significant honor,” adding, “I’m returning home with a heavy heart…”
The Italian team will be without Sinner, ranked second globally and boasting four Slam victories, as well as Lorenzo Musetti. This leaves Germany’s Alexander Zverev, currently third in the world rankings, as the sole top-10 player participating in the eight-team finals.
According to the Spanish tennis federation, Alcaraz experienced “physical discomfort” in his hamstring during the opening set of his final match in Turin, where he was defeated by Sinner, aged 24, with scores of 7-6 (7-4) and 7-5.
Alcaraz arrived at Spain’s training camp on Monday; however, medical assessments revealed “notable muscle strain accompanied by considerable swelling” in his hamstring.
He secured the year-end world number one ranking the previous week after progressing to the elimination rounds of the ATP Finals with a streak of three consecutive victories.
