Carlos Alcaraz releases statement after being told to go back on £820,000 decision
Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed he is withdrawing from the upcoming Masters 1000 in Canada. This news comes after fellow countryman Alex Corretja urged Alcaraz to take a break from his tennis schedule and sacrifice a possible £820,000 payday to priotise his body after the Wimbledon final.
Following his tough Wimbledon final defeat, Alcaraz said he planned to relax after a "demanding season" of tennis, and now he has confirmed his withdrawal from the Canadian Open via a statement. Writing on X, the 22-year-old said: "After many consecutive weeks of competition without rest, I will not be able to play in Toronto this year.
"I have small muscle issues and I need to recover physically and mentally for what comes next. To the tournament and to my fans in Canada I am very sorry, I will see you next year!"
Former tennis star Corretja will be glad that Alcaraz heeded his advice, as he previously urged his compatriot to skip the tournament and focus on recovery.
During an appearance on 'Carrusel Canalla', the 51-year-old said: "I never interfere in the schedule my great friend Juan Carlos Ferrero decides with Carlos Alcaraz, but I just hope he doesn't go to Toronto.
"I say this with all the affection and respect for the Canadian tournament. But I think Alcaraz would need to recover from all these efforts now."
Alcaraz isn't the only tennis star to withdraw from the tournament in Toronto. Four more high-profile athletes have already confirmed their departure from the Canadian Open this weekend. Most recently, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper announced they would not be participating, and Australian ace Jordan Thompson will also be absent.
This year, the Canadian Open has expanded to a 96-player draw and will span 12 days rather than seven - meaning the tournament will kick off as early as this weekend.
This means games will begin a mere two weeks after the Wimbledon final and conclude on Thursday, August 7. With limited recovery time from the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, many players are choosing to bypass the Canadian Open entirely.
Sinner defeated Alcaraz in four sets in the championship match at the All England Club just eight days ago, so it's no shock that both are eager to take some downtime.
Djokovic, who fell in the semi-finals at SW19 and hasn't played in Canada since 2018, has unsurprisingly withdrawn. Draper, on the other hand, has sustained an arm injury and will also sit out the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati next month.
The tournament revealed three of the pull-outs on social media on Sunday, in a statement that read: "Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have been forced to withdraw from the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto as they recover following Wimbledon. Jack Draper has also withdrawn due to injury."
Meanwhile, in Montreal, which will host the women's competition this year, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has already pulled out following her Wimbledon semi-final appearance.
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