New Delhi: World number one tennis player Carlos Alcaraz of Spain will get his 2023 season underway in Buenos Aires at the Argentina Open, starting from February 11, tournament organisers said on Twitter.
“The ATP number one ranked player will play in Argentina. The 19-year-old Spaniard will take part in our tournament for the first time,” Argentina Open organisers tweeted on Wednesday.
Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open last week after contracting a muscle in his right leg during training.
“I wanted to let you guys know that I will be playing in the Argentina Open. I’m honestly super excited to travel to Argentina and play there, so I hope to see everyone there. I’ll see you soon,” the U.S. Open champion said in a video message posted on social media.
After his withdrawal from the season’s first Grand slam, Alcaraz could lose his world No. 1 ranking depending on results at the Australian Open, with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the frame.
The 19-year-old became the youngest world number one since the creation of the ATP rankings in 1973 by winning his first Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open last September.
Moreover, he then became the youngest player in history to finish the year at the top of the rankings, and the first outside of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to do so since Andy Roddick in 2003.
He will join Italian Lorenzo Musetti, Austrian Dominic Thiem, Briton Cameron Norrie and local favourite Diego Schwartzman in Argentina Open next month.
–IANS