Carlos Alcaraz made a successful return to competition in Barcelona, defeating Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last 16, despite a wrist issue that required a medical timeout. The Spaniard, who needs to win the tournament to reclaim the world No 1 spot from Jannik Sinner, showed no signs of discomfort during his 85-minute victory. Alcaraz, who faces Tomas Machac next, expressed his happiness at being back in front of his home crowd, stating, "It feels great to be back and to get another win in front of my people in Barcelona, it means everything." He added, "This morning was my first practice here to adapt to the conditions.
Different conditions to Monte Carlo but overall I am really happy with the way that I played and solved the problems that I had in the first set. I ended up playing great tennis, so hopefully in the next round I will feel a little bit better." Alcaraz is seeking his third title of the season, following his Australian Open and ATP 500 event in Doha wins. The opportunity to quickly reclaim the world No 1 ranking from Sinner provides additional motivation, but steady improvement during the clay season remains his top priority.
With Sinner absent from the draw, Alcaraz's chances of winning the tournament have improved. The Spaniard joked, "I won't miss him this week," and acknowledged that he needs to win the tournament to regain the top ranking. Alcaraz hopes to play a full schedule on clay this season, with events in Madrid and Rome ahead of his French Open title defense.
He emphasized the importance of focusing on his training and matches, with results and points serving as extra motivation.