Alexander Zverev Thinks Carlos Alcaraz’s Roland Garros Withdrawal Due to Injury is ‘Sad for Tennis’

Alexander Zverev, at the moment, is competing at the Madrid Open to chase his third title in the tournament after wins in 2018 and 2021. He is seeded second because of the withdrawal of World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz.

The Spaniard withdrew because of an injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open, which forced him to hand the walkover to Tomas Machac in the second round. Alcaraz, a two-time champion in Madrid, pulled out of the event for the second consecutive year, as last year too, an injury forced him to withdraw from the match.

Zverev has already played his first match in the Spanish capital. He overcame Mariano Navone in three sets to schedule his third-round match against Terence Atmane. At the press conference after his win, Sascha said Alcaraz’s withdrawal from this year’s Roland Garros is sad for tennis.

It’s sad. Sad for tennis. But as he said himself, he is very young, and his career will be very long, and I think that is his priority. It is never good for top players to miss big tournaments; we need him, tennis is more exciting with him.

Alcaraz recently took to X to announce that he will not be playing at the Italian Open and the Roland Garros to recover completely before the grass swing. The 22-year-old won’t bid for a three-peat in the clay-court Major.

Sometimes it is said that top players are happy when others are not, but that’s not true. I have been in that situation, injured, unable to play the big tournaments, and it’s not a pleasant feeling. I wish him a very speedy recovery. Hopefully, he will be back sooner than expected and can think about Roland Garros, and if not, I hope to see him at 100% on the grass court season.

Alexander Zverev added

It was Zverev whom Alcaraz defeated in the 2024 French Open final to win his first title in the tournament. Last year, the Murcia native overcame a two-set deficit and saved three match points to defend his title by beating Jannik Sinner.

Alexander Zverev on his Roland Garros chances after the withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz

Now that Carlos Alcaraz won’t be competing at the French Open, it has given Alexander Zverev, a three-time Major finalist, a golden opportunity to end his Grand Slam title drought. But Zverev pointed out that although the tournament won’t have Alcaraz, one must not forget World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

Yes, but that’s the wrong way to see it. For me, to win a Grand Slam, you have to beat the best in the world. In recent months, Sinner has been the best player in the world and remains there; he is the big favorite. But I don’t want others to be absent. I will compete just the same, I will try to win, but it’s better when everyone is present.

Alexander Zverev said at the press conference

Sinner, who is chasing his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title, survived a scare in his opening-round match as Benjamin Bonzi took the first set off him before eventually losing the match. The Italian will next be locking horns with Elmer Moller.

The Madrid Open is the only Masters 1000 where he has never progressed beyond the quarterfinal, reaching the stage in 2024, but was forced to withdraw from his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Before arriving in Madrid, the four-time Grand Slam champion registered a straight-set win over Alcaraz in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, winning his career’s second clay-court title.

As he also won this year’s Indian Wells and the Miami Open, his win in The Principality has made him only the second man, after Novak Djokovic, to win the first three Masters 1000 of the season.

Also read: Andrea Petkovic Gives Harsh Reality Check on Carlos Alcaraz’s Popularity After French Open Withdrawal

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW