3 hours ago
9
Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to withdraw from the French Open due to the injury to his right wrist that he sustained last week in his first-round match at the Barcelona Open.
Alcaraz, a two-time French Open champion, had begun the clay-court season this month favoured to win his third consecutive title in Paris. After losing in the Monte Carlo Masters final to his great rival Jannik Sinner, who leapfrogged Alcaraz with his victory to reach No 1 in the rankings, the 22-year-old travelled to the Barcelona Open where he competed in his first-round match against Otto Virtanen two days later. The load on Alcaraz’s body proved too much and he injured his wrist in his opening match before withdrawing from the tournament a day later.
“After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing to do is to be cautious and not participate in Rome or Roland Garros as we wait to evaluate the progress so we can decide when to return to the court,” said Alcaraz in a statement on social media. “This is a difficult time for me, but I am sure we will come out of it stronger.”
Alcaraz made a brief appearance in Madrid on Monday to accept his world sportsman of the year award at the Laureus Awards. During his various interviews around the event, he said further medical tests on his wrist would determine the seriousness of the injury and whether he would be able to compete at the French Open. The results were evidently not positive.
Despite his success at Roland Garros over the past few years, injuries have been a constant problem for Alcaraz during this period. He has not enjoyed a healthy clay-court season since 2023 when he held only one major title. A right forearm injury sidelined him for much of the 2024 clay-court season, then Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open last year due to injuries in both legs.
Alcaraz had previously missed one grand slam since his emergence on the tour, a hamstring injury that forced him to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open months after winning his maiden grand slam title at the US Open and attaining the No 1 ranking.
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
In the Guardian app, tap the Profile settings button at the top right, then select Notifications.
Turn on sport notifications.
This latest setback represents one of the toughest moments of his career so far, a significant injury sustained in the busiest period of the calendar and at a time when he is playing some of the best tennis of his life. Alcaraz had started the season by pulling off another remarkable achievement, winning his seventh grand slam title at the Australian Open. Alcaraz’s victory in Melbourne made him the youngest man in history to win the career grand slam.
An extended injury absence for arguably the most exciting player on the tour also represents a significant blow for men’s tennis, which has been dominated by Alcaraz and Sinner in recent years. The top two players have won every tournament this year when one of them has been present and it has been two years since a player won a tournament that included both men. Even then, when Andrey Rublev won the 2024 Madrid Open, Sinner withdrew from the event due to injury and Alcaraz was competing despite his own forearm problem.
The Spanish player must now determine whether he will be healthy enough to return to competition for Wimbledon and the rest of the grass-court season, which begins immediately after the French Open. His desperation to return to competition must be paired with caution. Wrist injuries are particularly challenging in tennis, where the joint takes on such a great load with every stroke. Returning too soon could lead to long-term problems.
In Madrid, the top seed Sinner extended his winning streak to 18 matches after coming through a tough opening test against France’s Benjamin Bonzi, recovering from a set down to reach the third round with a 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Sinner is attempting to win a record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title in Madrid. However, the ultimate goal remains the completion of his own career grand slam at the French Open. Alcaraz’s unfortunate absence undoubtedly represents a great opportunity for the Italian.
