Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, the tournament confirmed on Monday, just hours after the Spaniard won his first Australian Open title.
The 22-year-old, who won the ATP 500 in Rotterdam last season, will not return to defend his crown at the indoor hard court event scheduled for February 9-16. Alcaraz sealed a historic milestone on Sunday when he defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets to become the winner in the Australian Open final the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam.
Despite Alcaraz’s absence, the Rotterdam Open will feature a strong field with top 10 players Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur competing.
Tournament organizers cited the physical demands of the past fortnight when they announced his withdrawal on social media. “Carlos Alcaraz will not be defending his title in Rotterdam. The Australian Open champion has concluded that he needs more time to return to action after his efforts over the past two weeks,” it said in a statement.
The close turnaround between the Australian Open final and the start of the Rotterdam event, along with intercontinental travel, appeared to influence the decision. Alcaraz is now expected to return to competition at the Qatar Open in Doha, another ATP 500 tournament, which starts on February 16.
Alcaraz’s triumph in Melbourne marked his 15th “major title”, a category that includes Grand Slam titles, ATP Masters 1000 trophies, Nitto ATP Finals victories and an Olympic gold medal in singles. However, the world number one insisted that completing a career Grand Slam at 22 has not dampened his motivation.
After overhauling Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, Alcaraz said he was unwilling to put more pressure on himself by targeting a calendar Grand Slam this season.
“It will be a big challenge. Those are big words,” Alcaraz told reporters. “I want to take it one at a time. Right now it’s the next French Open. I have great memories there and every time I go back it feels really special.
“I don’t want to put myself under pressure to do it, but I will focus on recovering well, working hard and preparing properly to play a good tournament at the next Grand Slam.”
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 2, 2026