Carlos Alcaraz is reportedly set to withdraw from the Madrid Open in a major blow to his French Open hopes. Spanish reports claim that there are doubts over the tennis star's participation in the Italian Open at the start of May, potentially throwing his clay court season and preparation for Roland Garros into disarray.

Alcaraz is due to speak with the media this morning. Reports in his homeland suggest that he will confirm his withdrawal through injury. The 21-year-old has been struggling with an adductor problem which he suffered in his Barcelona Open defeat against Holger Rune. He was beaten 7-6 6-2 in the final against the Dane.

After that defeat against Rune, Alcaraz revealed that he had undergone tests on his adductor. He confirmed that he would wait to learn the results of those investigations before deciding on whether he would enter the draw for his home Masters 1000 event.

Alcaraz said: "I feel fine physically. I've had tests, and we'll see what the results say. I'm used to playing with discomfort, so let's hope I can play and enjoy Madrid."

There is reportedly hope that he will be fit for the French Open, which begins on May 25. The Italian Open, which starts on May 6, could be less likely, however.

Having received a bye to the second round as a seeded player, Alcaraz is due to play his first match at the Madrid Open tomorrow. He is scheduled to play the winner of Zizou Bergs vs Gabriel Diallo.

Alcaraz has endured a largely difficult year. He was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-final and his form since has been inconsistent. There was also a defeat in the semi-final of Indian Wells against British star Jack Draper, who went on to win the tournament. His two titles this year have come at the Rotterdam Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters.

However, Alcaraz had only won one tournament by this point last year, having triumphed at Indian Wells. A maiden French Open followed before he successfully defended his Wimbledon crown in another epic showdown with Djokovic.

Expanding on his injury against Rune, Alcaraz said: “The second set started off very tough, with long, intense rallies. There were a couple of rallies that made me feel a little sore in my adductor muscle, my right psoas. When you feel a little discomfort, the alarm bells go off a bit and it’s hard to stay focused on the game. You worry about how your physique, your health, is going to be, and it was hard for me to continue and maintain that level.

“From what I’m noticing and feeling now, I think it’s going to be two days of rest, and even if I hadn’t hurt myself, I would have had them anyway. We’re going to talk to my medical team, we’re going to run tests, but I believe and trust that it won’t harm me for Madrid.”

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