Carlos Alcaraz is one of the most in-demand players in men’s tennis, and the world No 1 will have made several Spanish tennis fans happy with a big schedule announcement made on Tuesday.
The Barcelona Open has announced that the six-time Grand Slam champion will return to the event in 2026, in what will mark his fifth appearance at the ATP 500 tournament.
Held from April 13-19 next season, the tournament looks set to be a key part of Alcaraz’s clay-court swing, and he will want to channel past glories on home turf.
How has Carlos Alcaraz previously fared at the Barcelona Open?
The ATP 500 event in Barcelona has traditionally been a strong event for the Spaniard, who holds a strong 14-2 record at the tournament.
Alcaraz made his event debut as a 17-year-old back in 2021, the then-world No 119 falling to Frances Tiafoe in his first-ever match at the tournament.
However, he returned to the event in 2022 as the world No 11 and a Masters 1000 champion, and battled his way to the title.
The fifth seed defeated top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-final and 10th seed Alex de Minaur in the semi-final, before victory over eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the final.
Ranked second in the world, Alcaraz returned to the event in 2023 and successfully defended his title that year, defeating Tsitsipas in the championship match.
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However, he was then forced to pull out of the tournament in 2024, and missed out on the title on his return in 2025 — falling to Holger Rune in the final, as he appeared to struggle physically.
Where else will Alcaraz play in 2026?
The full details of Alcaraz’s 2026 schedule are not yet confirmed, with players allowed to officially register for tournaments just six weeks in advance.
However, we can likely assume that the Spaniard will be in action at all four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open — in 2026, barring injury.
There are nine Masters 1000 events that Alcaraz will likely want to play, though it is possible that the 22-year-old will skip one or more of these tournaments across the year.
In 2025, Alcaraz missed both the Madrid Open in April and the Shanghai Masters in October due to injury, while pulling out of the Canadian Open due to the short post-Wimbledon turnaround.
However, outside of the Barcelona Open, he is also officially confirmed for two further ATP 500 events: the Rotterdam Open and the Queen’s Club Championships.
Alcaraz is the reigning champion at both tournaments and had also previously lifted the Queen’s title back in 2023.
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