Carlos Alcaraz failed in his bid to win a three-peat at the Madrid Open Men's singles after losing to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
The 20-year-old came in as a heavy favorite against the Russian and the entire competition.
He won the tournament's previous two editions.
However, injury issues took their toll on the young star, who succumbed to the Russian opponent in three sets.
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He wanted to make his hometown fans proud but did not get the desired result.
He now turned his focus to the next competition, the Italian Open, which is happening next week.
He is not just after another title but another showdown with tennis GOAT candidate Novak Djokovic, whom he beat once at the 2023 Wimbledon Open.
This is why he is racing to get back to top form.
"I will wear special protection on my arm," he told reporters after the loss.
"We'll see how well I recover this week. I can't wait to see Djokovic in Rome. I hope that I will come to Italy with a positive feeling. When I woke up in the morning, I felt tightness all over my body. My forearm started to hurt again. The bill arrived after hard matches."
Is Djokovic confirmed to play in the Italian Open?
Novak Djokovic skipped the Madrid Open but is confirmed to play at the Italian Open in Rome.
Alcaraz will have the time of his life as fellow Spanish and tennis great Rafael Nadal is confirmed to play.
Djokovic previously expressed a desire to have another showdown with Nadal before the latter retires this year.
He is hoping they can do that at the French Open.
The Serbian great has been very careful this season, with the Rome event only his fourth competition.
He made it known earlier that appearing in back-to-back competitions is unlikely.
However, he hopes to use the Italian Open to improve before the next Grand Slam event.
"I had semis of Australia, semis here [at Monte Carlo Open]. I only played three tournaments this year, so of course, you know, it's normal to expect that you have some seasons where you don't start well, and this is the one," he said last month.
"Hopefully I can pick up, in terms of results, I can build from here, because, you know, I played some good tennis. Hopefully in the next tournaments, I'll be able to play even better."
His strategy of skipping ATPs leads fans to speculate that he is preparing for retirement, something his camp hasn't commented on.
Not playing in Madrid might be a wise decision, as his fiercest rivals have suffered setbacks there. The latest is world No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who withdrew from the quarterfinals.
The 22-year-old Italian has yet to confirm whether he can play in front of his home fans.
Djokovic will turn 37 on May 22, and he accomplished everything there is to achieve for a tennis professional.
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