Carlos Alcaraz Hints at Skipping Roland Garros to Avoid Serious Injury in Future

A wrist injury has cast doubt on World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz's participation at the French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz Hints at Skipping Roland Garros to Avoid Serious Injury in Future

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

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz injured his right wrist and withdrew from the Barcelona Open, skipping the Madrid Open as a result.
  • He hinted at potentially withdrawing from Roland Garros to prioritize his long-term health and recovery.
  • Alcaraz has already won one Major this year and is focused on returning in great shape rather than rushing back to competition.

Carlos Alcaraz injured his right wrist during the Barcelona Open, as a result of which, he was forced to withdraw from the second-round match against Tomas Machac. The Spaniard will now skip the Madrid Open, the main draw of which is set to start on April 22.

And now, Alcaraz has hinted that he may end up withdrawing from the Roland Garros as well. The clay-court Major is set to start on May 24, and if Alcaraz plays, then he will be chasing his third consecutive title.

We’ve been trying to do everything we can to make sure that this test goes well. I’m trying to be very patient. But we are good and just waiting a little bit. We have a few tests in the next few days, and then we will see how the injury is and what the next steps will be.

Carlos Alcaraz told Spanish television channel TVE

In the last two French Open finals, the seven-time Grand Slam champion defeated Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner, respectively. Alcaraz has already lifted one Major this year. He beat Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam.

I’d rather come back a little later but in great shape than come back early, rushing around, and unwell. God willing, I have a very long career ahead of me – many years – and pushing myself too hard at this Roland Garros could seriously harm me in future tournaments. Things happen in the professional world. You have to accept them. I need to recover really well if I don’t want it to affect me later on.

Carlos Alcaraz added

After his Australian Open win, Alcaraz downed Arthur Fils in the Qatar Open final but failed to reach the title clashes of the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open, losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the former event and to Sebastian Korda in the third round of the latter event.

Alcaraz next failed to defend his title at the Monte-Carlo Masters, losing the final to Sinner. The defeat also saw him lose his No.1 ranking to the four-time defending champion.

Daniel Merida admits he feels the pressure due to Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance

Daniel Merida reached the final of his second ATP main draw tournament in Bucharest this year. He lost the title to Mariano Navone. The 21-year-old is from Spain and has already been dealing with pressure due to Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

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

All Spanish tennis players who stand out at a young age face pressure; they quickly start being compared to people like Rafa, Carlos, who are players who have done something unusual, like being number one at 18 years old. I’ve tried to get rid of those comparisons, not put pressure on myself, and little by little, I’ve been handling them better. I’ve learned that everything depends on me, that I have to do this for myself, for my family, for my coaches.

Daniel Merida said (H/T: Eurosport Spain)

On the Challenger tour, Merida has featured in three singles finals, winning two titles. The last time he played a main-draw match was in the Bucharest final.

It’s uncertain when Alcaraz will make his comeback. Because of his withdrawal from the Madrid Open, Jannik Sinner, who has no points to defend in the tournament, will increase the rankings gap between him and Alcaraz if he wins the tournament.

Sinner has never progressed past the quarterfinals in Madrid, but Alcaraz is a two-time champion. Alcaraz, in fact, has won 11 of his 26 singles titles on clay.

Also read: Marta Kostyuk Incredibly Proud After Winning All-Ukrainian Final: “It Was a Historical Moment”