Robredo learned at 1:30pm
Barcelona tournament director Tommy Robredo said he knew by 1:30 p.m. that Alcaraz would not play, underscoring how late the withdrawal decision came. (en.tennistemple.com) (hindustantimes.com)
Tommy Robredo said he knew by 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, that Carlos Alcaraz would not play on at the Barcelona Open. (tennistemple.com) Alcaraz withdrew that day with a right wrist injury after beating Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday, April 14, in his first-round match. He said the pain began during the first set and worsened as the match went on. (atptour.com) The tests came on Alcaraz’s rest day, and he said the results showed “a slightly more serious injury” than he and his team expected. Tomáš Macháč, his scheduled second-round opponent, advanced by walkover. (olympics.com) The timing mattered because Barcelona had already built its week around Alcaraz, its home star and a two-time champion in 2022 and 2023. He had arrived trying to defend points after losing the 2025 final to Holger Rune. (atptour.com) The withdrawal also hit a tournament that runs only from April 13 to April 19 and sits one week before the Madrid Open begins on April 22. Alcaraz said he would go home to recover with his team, doctors and physio. (atptour.com) (olympics.com) Before the injury, the draw had placed Alcaraz on a path that could have brought Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev later in the week. Robredo, a former Barcelona champion who is serving as tournament director, had presented that draw on April 11. (barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com) The order of play for Thursday, April 16, showed how late the change landed. On Pista Rafa Nadal, the first singles match was set for not before 1:30 p.m., the same time Robredo said he already knew Alcaraz would not continue. (protennislive.com) (tennistemple.com) Alcaraz had also entered Barcelona with a rankings subplot hanging over him. After losing to Jannik Sinner in the Monte-Carlo final on April 12, he no longer had a chance to reclaim No. 1 this week once he pulled out in Barcelona. (olympics.com) By Wednesday afternoon, the tournament had gone from planning around its biggest attraction to redrawing the week without him. Robredo’s 1:30 p.m. marker put a clock on just how late that switch came. (tennistemple.com)
