Carlos Alcaraz’s Clay-Covered Vanity Fair Photoshoot Gets Mixed Reactions from Fans – “Ridiculous”

Carlos Alcaraz will not be playing the French Open this year due to his wrist injury.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Clay-Covered Vanity Fair Photoshoot Gets Mixed Reactions from Fans – “Ridiculous”

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Italian Open and French Open due to a wrist injury.
  • His Vanity Fair photoshoot received mixed reactions from fans, with some calling it "ridiculous."
  • Alcaraz's rival, Jannik Sinner, is currently competing at the Italian Open and on a 31-match winning streak in Masters 1000s.

The Italian Open is underway at the Foro Italico, but Carlos Alcaraz is not competing. The defending champion skipped the tournament to nurse the wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz was forced to give Tomas Machac a walkover in the second round, and later withdrew from the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. The titles that the Spaniard has so far lifted this season are the Australian Open and the Qatar Open by defeating Novak Djokovic and Arthur Fils, respectively.

Alcaraz then failed to defend his Monte-Carlo Masters title, losing to arch-rival Jannik Sinner in straight sets. This saw him lose his No.1 ranking to the Italian ace.

Because of the injury, he will also miss the French Open. He will continue to lose a lot of ranking points as he is the two-time reigning champion in the second Major of the season. Although Alcaraz played just two clay-court tournaments this season, he has turned heads thanks to his poses on the clay for the Vanity Fair photoshoot.

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Fans react to Carlos Alcaraz’s Vanity Fair photoshoot

Carlos Alcaraz, covered in orange clay, donning a Louis Vuitton tank top, Nike gym shorts, and his Rolex watch, has gone viral. But fans on social media are divided over the way he posed for the cover.

Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

Check out their reactions here:

Alcaraz is expected to be back for the grass swing. Last year on grass, Alcaraz won his second Queen’s title but failed to complete the three-peat at Wimbledon, losing in four sets to Jannik Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz on his rivalry with Jannik Sinner

Sinner clinched his second consecutive win over Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final following the title clash of last year’s ATP Finals. The seven-time Major champion, who now holds a 10-7 head-to-head lead over Sinner, talked about the rivalry during his interview with Vanity Fair.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (4)
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

We’re showing the world that we can be on court and give our best, and try to do the most possible damage to the other while playing, try to beat each other, and then, off court, just be two guys who get along really well… We help each other give our best. There is no bad blood. We are fighting for the same goal, but there’s no need to hate each other because we want the same thing.

Sinner is currently competing at the Italian Open and will be locking horns with Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. Sinner is on a 31-match winning streak in Masters 1000s, matching the record with Novak Djokovic.

When you are competing at this level, having a close friendship is complicated… It can be done. I’m all for it… Rivalries are long processes. It’s not comparable to the historic rivalries that have happened in tennis, because we both have so many years ahead. Hopefully, we will continue playing against each other many times, at many finals, and that we will split the greatest tournaments.

Carlos Alcaraz added

Sinner lost to Alcaraz in last year’s Italian Open final and later lost a thrilling French Open final at the hands of the World No.2. If Sinner wins the home tournament, he will become the second man after Djokovic to complete the Career Golden Masters.

He will also become the first man to win six consecutive Masters 1000 titles. It was in the third round of the 2025 Shanghai Masters that Sinner last lost a match at this level. Since then, he took home the 2025 Paris Masters and lifted four titles this year: the Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open.

Also read: Alexander Zverev Slams Court Conditions in Fiery Presser After Italian Open Exit