Sidelined Carlos Alcaraz to open 2023 season on clay in Buenos Aires

WATCH: Alcaraz in "Calvins or nothing" campaign

With injuries comes resetting plans. For Carlos Alcaraz, an off-season setback has delayed his return to Grand Slam competition as the incoming US Open champion after announcing his withdrawal from the Australian Open last week.

As a result, the world No. 1 has a new 2023 launching pad. Buenos Aires organizers confirmed Wednesday that Alcaraz now intends to start his season at their 250-level event, where the 19-year-old will make his debut.

“I wanted to let you guys know that I will be playing the Argentina Open. I'm honestly super excited to travel to Argentina and play there, so I hope to see everyone there. I'll see you soon,” Alcaraz shared in a translated video message posted on the tournament's social media accounts.

Part of February’s “Golden Swing” on clay, Buenos Aires has crowned its share of noteworthy winners since returning to the ATP calendar in 2001 when Gustavo Kuerten triumphed. Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya and Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero are among its champion honor roll. Dominic Thiem and Casper Ruud have combined to capture four of the past seven crowns.

Alcaraz posted a 27-4 clay-court mark in 2022, which began with a championship run at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro. Alcaraz is slated to defend that title after Buenos Aires. If all goes to plan, he’ll follow that up by switching surfaces to the outdoor hard-court 500 in Acapulco and join Nadal for a one-night exhibition at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on March 5 leading into the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami.

In missing the season’s first major, Alcaraz may not occupy the top spot on the men's tour when he next takes the court. Three players—Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas—are in contention to overtake the Spaniard for No. 1 with deep runs Down Under.