MADRID (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz will go another year without fulfilling his dream of winning the Davis Cup for Spain.
The top-ranked Alcaraz said Tuesday he's heartbroken to withdraw from the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, Italy, because of an injured right hamstring.
The decision was recommended by doctors, he said.
“I’m so sorry to announce that I won’t be able to play for Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna,” Alcaraz said on X. “I have an edema in my right hamstring and the medical recommendation is not to compete."
He was hurt during last week’s ATP Finals, where he reached the title match before losing to rival Jannik Sinner., and was diagnosed with muscle overload and swelling of his right hamstring.
Alcaraz said he was returning home with a “heavy heart.”
“I’ve always said that playing for Spain is the greatest thing there is, and I was really looking forward to helping us fight for the Davis Cup," he said.
Later Tuesday, in a video call with reporters to promote exhibition matches next month in New Jersey and Florida, Alcaraz said he's “not worried at all” about any long-term effects of the leg issue and plans to get treatment daily and do exercises to get better quickly.
Alcaraz made his Davis Cup debut in 2022 and has a 6-2 overall record, 5-1 in singles. Spain's last triumph was in 2019.
He also didn't play in the 2023 Davis Cup because of fitness issues. Last year, Alcaraz and Spain were eliminated in the opening round of the Final 8 at home in Malaga, spoiling the final match of Rafael Nadal’s storied career.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz has said he wants “to win the Davis Cup one day … because for me, it’s a really important, important tournament.”
He was set to lead Spain on Thursday against the No. 4-seeded Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. The Czech team, which includes top-20 players Jiri Lehecka and Jakub Mensik, eliminated the United States in the qualifying round in September.
Alcaraz had already secured the year-end No. 1 ranking before losing Sunday to Sinner 7-6 (4), 7-5 in Turin. He also finished No. 1 in 2022, the youngest ever at 19.
This year he won the French Open and U.S. Open and has six Grand Slam titles.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Italy's Jannik Sinner, left, and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz hug after the final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns to Italy's Jannik Sinner during the final tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire ripped through a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing at least 25 people, including tourists, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.
The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.
Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.
The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, witnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were on the dance floor. Several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff, it said.
Fatima Shaikh said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.
The nightclub, located along the Arpora River backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the firefighters to park their tankers about 400 meters (1,300 feet) away, delaying the efforts, the news agency said.
Sawant said the club had violated fire safety regulations. The state government ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and responsibility, he said, adding that authorities would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite the violations.
Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club, which didn't have construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the fire "deeply saddening# and said he spoke with Sawant. Modi said the government “is providing all possible assistance” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.
Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.
“This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance,” Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, wrote in a social media post. He called for a transparent probe to "fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don’t occur again.”
The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.
The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)
