"Carlos Alcaraz is learning from Iga Swiatek" - Fans react to Spaniard's MTO in Barcelona Open final loss to Holger Rune

Carlos Alcaraz took an off-court medical timeout (MTO) during his clash against Holger Rune in the final of the 2025 Barcelona Open. The MTO didn't seem to have much of a positive impact on the Spaniard, as his level dipped following his return to the court, allowing the Dane to capitalize on the situation and clinch the ATP 500-level claycourt title. Fans later chimed in with their opinions on Alcaraz's MTO.

Rune won the tense and topsy-turvy first set 7-6(6). In the second, Alcaraz established a 2-1 lead. Here though, the Spaniard started experiencing physical discomfort and took the MTO. Unfortunately for the former No. 1, he couldn't play at his best after he came back to the court, and tried desperately to end points quickly. This approach backfired, as the Dane convincingly won the second set 6-2, leaving Alcaraz to settle for second-best.

Several tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Carlos Alcaraz's MTO. There were a few who opined that the Spaniard didn't genuinely experience a problem, and was only looking to break Holger Rune's momentum. One likened Alcaraz to former WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who came under fire for taking multiple MTOs at the United Cup earlier this year.

"He’s learning from Iga," the fan wrote.

"He always does this whenever he is losing up against Rune, last time was in Paris," commented another, referring to Alcaraz's mid-match retirement in the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters quarterfinal against the Dane.

There were others who were left concerned by Carlos Alcaraz's latest injury blow. One fan felt that it boiled down to the Spaniard having played more tournaments than necessary so far this year. Alcaraz arrived in Barcelona shortly after winning the Monte-Carlo Masters title. Before Monte Carlo, he was in the USA for the 'Sunshine Double' spanning Indian Wells and Miami.

"Nonsense planning , too many tournaments. He could avoid Barcelona e move back with Madrid. He will reach Roland Garros with no energy and probably with some physical issues," opined one fan.

"I don’t even care about this tournament I just want him to be healthy for the rest of the season 😭😭😭," another added.

"Lord take away his pain, double it and give it to rat," wrote another, urging Alcaraz's injury woes to be transferred to Alexander Zverev, who is often called 'rat' by fans critical of the German.

"Alcaraz was worse in the 2nd set, whether the injury was a factor or not. Rune stayed solid. He played better overall. Congratulations to him. I hope Carlos's injury is not serious to sideline him for long. Speedy recovery to him," weighed in yet another fan.

Soon after the conclusion of the 2025 Barcelona Open final, which left Alcaraz in tears, it was confirmed that the Spaniard would be seeking an in-depth assessment of his injury.

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Carlos Alcaraz to undergo MRI; scan results likely to dictate Spaniard's participation across rest of European claycourt swing

Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Getty)

Marca confirmed in the aftermath of the 2025 Barcelona Open final that Carlos Alcaraz would be undergoing an MRI scan on Monday, April 21. The scan is set to paint a more detailed picture of how serious the Spaniard's injury is.

According to the Barcelona Open's official tournament doctor, the problem lies in one of Alcaraz's right leg adductor muscles. Depending on the results of the scan, Alcaraz's decision to feature in the upcoming Madrid Open and Italian Open may change.

In case the injury is a serious one, it's likely that the four-time Major winner would want to rest, rehabilitate and recover in time for the year's second Grand Slam, the French Open, where he is the defending champion. In last year's final at Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz needed five sets to get past Alexander Zverev.