World No 3 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday with a thigh injury, in a blow for his French Open title defence preparations.

The Spaniard, a four-time Grand Slam winner, sustained the problem during his Barcelona Open final defeat last Sunday by Holger Rune.

“I did everything that was in my hands but it didn’t improve a lot over the (last few) days,” Alcaraz told a news conference.

“Things didn’t work out as I wanted to be able to play here, and we have decided not to take risks.”

Alcaraz was hoping to lift the trophy in Madrid for the third time after his 2022 and 2023 victories.