Carlos Alcaraz’s Queen’s opponent withdraws hours before match | Tennis | Sport

Davidovich Fokina has pulled out of his match with Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s after his wedding on the weekend. The Spaniard was set to take on the French Open champion in the first round on Tuesday, but withdrew just over two hours before he was due to step on court.

However, the decision has not been attributed to the 26-year-old getting married. Instead, Fokina has officially withdrawn due to illness. In his place, top seed Alcaraz will now take on Australian lucky loser Adam Walton on Andy Murray Arena.

This past weekend, Fokina, 26, took to social media to share photos of footage of his wedding to longtime girlfriend Paloma Amatiste. The ceremony took place at Trocadero Sotogrande, a Mediterranean cuisine restaurant and beach club in Rio Real in Marbella.

It isn’t the first time the 2021 French Open quarter-finalist has had to pull out of a tournament at the 11th hour this season. In February, he had to give up his spot at the Rio Open to a lucky loser after withdrawing with a back injury.

Walton is ranked 85th in the world, some 57 places below Fokina. However, Alcaraz will be grateful to simply have an opponent having not played since his final win over Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros.

Instead, he’s taken time out to go on holiday in Ibiza. His campaign at Queen’s will signify the start of his grass-court season as he bids to win Wimbledon for the third successive year.

On Monday, Alcaraz, who has never played Walton in his career, defended his decision to take a break before Queen’s, saying: “It’s kind of the middle of the season. After the clay season, which is very intense, I think it’s the perfect time to get away.

“My friends go every year, so I go too. It doesn’t matter where. The point is to switch off mentally, recharge physically and come back ready for the grass season. After such a great but intense few weeks, having time to disconnect and have fun is really important for me.”