Action shifts after Monte Carlo as the top seeds eye next stop. As the players have already started to prepare for the upcoming clay court event in Barcelona, Spanish tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz stand to be the most discussed names for the tournament. Initially included in Saturday’s draw, Alcaraz made a surprise withdrawal the following day.

Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from the Monte Carlo Masters, owing to his right forearm injury, saddened the fans. While everyone was expecting to see the same dominance that he presented back in Indian Wells, they missed it out, expecting him to defend the title in Barcelona. However, as the recent update showed up, the fans will have to keep waiting to see him play.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell along with Carlos Alcaraz shared this update of withdrawal from the tournament on their IG accounts through a shared post. The depth of disappointment becomes even deeper as the draws unveiled a possible showdown between Alcaraz and Nadal.

The young champ informed fans of his injury while he announced his withdrawal from Monte-Carlo. “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,” he wrote, confirming the reports that unveiled a lack of strength in his forehand shots.

While the 20-year-old has decided to take more time to recover from the injury, it still remains to be seen if he will be able to step back for the competitions ahead. Nevertheless, the world of sports is full of situations where what hurts one athlete or team can benefit another. The same can prevail for Nadal.

Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal increases Nadal’s chances of victory?

Although the update of Carlos Alcaraz’s exit from the Barcelona Open might seem to be a saddening situation, it somehow removed a hurdle from Rafael Nadal’s path to glory. The 37-year-old, who is looking forward to getting back in the game, had Alcaraz as a formidable opponent in the semi-finals, per the Barcelona Open Draw.

While Nadal faced a disappointing defeat against the young compatriot recently at the exhibition Netflix slam, his presence in the draw was undoubtedly a danger sign. Now that he has decided to not be a part of the clay court tournament that he has been defending for the last two years, it still remains to be seen if it will be advantageous for the ‘King of Clay’.