Why isn’t Carlos Alcaraz playing at Australian Open in 2023?

Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old men’s tennis World No. 1, withdrew from the Australian Open in the first week of January with a hamstring injury in his right leg.

In 2022, Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 in the ATP rankings in the history of the sport. He took home a U.S. Open win, overcoming Frances Tiafoe and Casper Ruud to get the victory, and finished the calendar year as the top men’s player in the world.

The Spaniard would have been the top seed in the tournament if he had been able to play, but in his absence, Rafael Nadal will get the No. 1 spot. Novak Djokovic is seeded fourth. Djokovic is the favorite to win the men’s tournament with -110 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. Daniil Medvedev is second on the odds list at +550.

Alcaraz made it to the third round of last year’s Australian Open as a No. 31 seed, falling to Matteo Berrettini in five sets.

The Australian Open will run from January 16 through January 29 in Melbourne.