Jim Courier Cites Juan Martin del Potro’s Injury-Marred Career to Laud Carlos Alcaraz’s Decision: “He is Very Wise”

Juan Martin del Potro suffered from multiple wrist injuries, which ultimately derailed his tennis career. Carlos Alcaraz is also nursing a wrist injury. He injured it while competing at the Barcelona Open, and it forced him to withdraw from the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and now, the French Open.

A few days ago, Alcaraz announced on X that he will be absent from Wimbledon as well. Although some feel Alcaraz’s absence has made men’s tennis boring because of Jannik Sinner‘s complete dominance, he took the right decision in choosing not to rush his comeback, according to many, including Rafael Nadal.

Jim Courier is also of the same opinion. He backed the seven-time Grand Slam champion to miss the major events and focus on complete recovery before making his comeback.

I think that Carlos is being very wise and being cautious with the wrist. I think there are sadly some cautionary tales of players that have had their careers completely derailed by wrist injuries… Juan Martin Del Potro is the prime example of a player who was a champion and will always be a champion, but as we look at what his career might have been had he stayed healthy, will always wonder.

Jim Courier told CLAY

Alcaraz has played three finals already this year. After completing the Career Grand Slam by defeating Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, the 23-year-old went past Arthur Fils in the Qatar Open final. But he lost both the Sunshine Double events before reaching the final. Later in the Monte-Carlo Masters, he was denied his second consecutive title by Sinner.

And I don’t want to be sitting here in 20 years, wondering what Carlos Alcaraz might have achieved if he had just taken a little bit more time to take care of his wrist. He’s so smart to be careful with the wrist.

Jim Courier added

At Wimbledon, Alcaraz played the final in the previous three seasons. He defeated Djokovic in 2023 and 2024, but Sinner ruined his hat-trick dream last year.

Rafael Nadal on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance

During the presentation of his new Netflix documentary, Rafael Nadal commented on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner‘s dominance. Nadal said every era is different, so he cannot claim that there’s a lack of competition at the moment.

Right now, there are two players who are creating too much of a gap between themselves and the rest. That seems to diminish their value a bit, but that’s the moment they are living in. I’m confident that young, enthusiastic players will come along and give them a run for their money. In tennis, it’s good to have established champions like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but it’s also good to have contenders, and right now it seems like there are not any.

Sinner and Alcaraz won the last nine Majors. The Italian, in fact, is on a 34-match winning streak in Masters 1000s, winning last year’s Paris Masters and this year’s Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, and the Italian Open. He is now the second man, after Novak Djokovic, to complete the Career Golden Masters and is also the first man to win six consecutive Masters 1000 titles.

At the French Open, Sinner will be chasing the Career Grand Slam. He finished as the runner-up last year, losing in five sets to Alcaraz. The French Open is set to start on May 24th. Sinner, who has become the second man after Nadal to win the three Masters 1000s in a single season, will be chasing his fifth clay-court title in Paris.

Also read: Coco Gauff Embarrassed After Mom Asks Her to Pose While Pointing Toward Roland Garros Poster