Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday with a wrist injury, leaving the women’s draw in Madrid further unsettled before the WTA 1000 event begins. The world No. 6 had not played since a fourth-round loss to Belinda Bencic at the Miami Open last month and had already pulled out of Charleston before arriving in Spain.
Anisimova, who was spotted in Madrid for the Laureus World Sports Awards before confirming she would not compete, is now looking at the Italian Open in Rome as her next possible tour appearance. Her withdrawal pushed Magdalena Frech into a seeded position in the draw, while a lucky loser took Anisimova’s original place in the bracket.
The loss matters because Madrid has become one of the most disrupted stops on the clay swing. Anisimova and Ekaterina Alexandrova are among 13 players to pull out of the women’s singles field, and Alexandrova’s lower back injury opened the door for Maria Sakkari to step in. Emma Raducanu remains absent as she recovers from a viral illness after losing to Anisimova at Indian Wells, Karolina Muchova withdrew after reaching the Stuttgart final, and Barbora Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova are also missing.
Varvara Gracheva will miss the entire clay season after tearing her ACL in practice at the end of March, and Sonay Kartal is out for the full clay swing with a back injury. The men’s draw has been hit too, with Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper among ten withdrawals. Madrid was supposed to be a springboard toward Roland-Garros, but the repeated absences are turning the tournament into a test of depth as much as form.
Anisimova’s setback also interrupts a season that had promised more. She was one of the sport’s compelling stories last year after reaching the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open and breaking into the top five for the first time. She opened 2026 with an Australian Open quarterfinal, but the momentum has stalled, and she also parted ways with coach Hendrick Vleeshouwers during her time away from the tour. For now, the question is whether Rome becomes the point where her clay season finally begins.