Madrid, Apr 24 (AP) Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open because of leg injuries.

The third-ranked Spaniard said he has not fully recovered from the upper leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final last Sunday. He also said he has a left leg injury. His first appearance at the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital was scheduled for Saturday.

Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won in 2022 and 2023. He was the second seed this week and in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz needed treatment on his leg during his straight-set loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final. He had not practiced in Madrid yet, and said this week that he felt “fine” but was waiting on medical test results to determine whether he would play.

Alcaraz, who will turn 22 on May 5, won in Monte Carlo to start his clay-court campaign and on a nine-match winning run until the Barcelona final. He complained of having to play “so many matches and have so few days to rest.” He said the injuries should not be a problem heading into the French Open next month, where he is the defending champion. He won the Roland Garros final against Alexander Zverev, who has just leapfrogged the Spaniard to No. 2 in the world after winning in Munich last week.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has a 24-5 record this year. In addition to Monte Carlo, he also won in Rotterdam on hard court in February. (AP) APA APA