No. 1 Alcaraz pulls out of Australian Open
Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Australian Open on Friday because of an injured right leg.
The 19-year-old from Spain wrote on social media that he got hurt “through a chance, unnatural movement in training.”
The year’s first Grand Slam tournament begins Jan. 16 at Melbourne Park. The draw is Thursday.
Alcaraz won the U.S. Open last September and moved atop the ATP rankings. That allowed him to become the youngest man to finish a season at No. 1 since the computerized men’s tennis rankings began a halfcentury ago.
His rise from No. 32 at the end of 2021 also marked the largest single-season jump to No. 1.
This is his second significant setback in recent months, though.
Alcaraz cut short last season in November after tearing an abdominal muscle while competing at the Paris Masters. That forced him to withdraw from the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals.
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