Jannik Sinner found his serve and forehand just when he needed them, and beat Carlos Alcaraz—and the wind—in a tactical tug of war

The BNP Paribas Open champion was the No. 3 seed in Monte Carlo, and was forced to miss the first clay-court Masters 1000 tournament for a second year in a row.

ByDavid Kane

Published Apr 09, 2024

PRESS CONFERENCE: Carlos Alcaraz wants to see the stats from Miami loss to Grigor Dimitrov

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Carlos Alcaraz announced on Tuesday that he will be forced to withdraw from the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, citing a pronator teres injury to his right arm.

“I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play!” the former world No. 1 wrote on social media. “I was really looking forward to playing... See you next year!”

Concerns for Alcaraz’s health emerged earlier in the week when the Spaniard was seen practicing with a bandaged right arm. His last match came at the Miami Open, where he took a surprising loss to eventual finalist Grigor Dimitrov.

I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play! 🥲 I was really looking forward to playing... See you next year! @ROLEXMCMASTERS @atptour pic.twitter.com/hQ8ANcAxPI
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) April 9, 2024

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The 20-year-old will miss the first Masters 1000 event of the clay-court swing for a second straight year, having also sat out the tournament in 2023 due to injury.

Alcaraz struggled to find his best form for the first few months of 2024 before channeling the tennis that has already taken him to two Grand Slam titles at the BNP Paribas Open, where he won his fifth career Masters 1000 title and his first title since Wimbledon last summer.

The pressure will be on Alcaraz to recover in time for the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and the Mutua Madrid Open, both of which he won in 2023.

Initially in the Monte Carlo draw as the No. 3 seed, Alcaraz will be replaced by lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego, who will take on Félix Auger-Aliassime in the second round.