Carlos Alcaraz’s pursuit of a third consecutive French Open title has been thwarted by a right wrist injury. The world No. 2 took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to announce that he will also miss the upcoming Italian Open in Rome, a tournament he won last year.
Alcaraz sustained the injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open earlier this month, after which he withdrew from the tournament the following day. As a result, he also had to forfeit his participation in the Madrid Open this week. Despite his injury, Alcaraz attended the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid, where he received the accolade for world sportsman of the year, though his wrist was in a brace.
After undergoing medical assessments on Friday, Alcaraz confirmed his decision to withdraw from both the Rome and Roland Garros events. In his statement on X, he expressed the need to prioritise his recovery. “After the test results, we’ve decided it’s best to be cautious and refrain from competing in Rome and Roland Garros,” he wrote. “It’s a tough time for me, but I believe I’ll come back even stronger.”
The young Spaniard started the year spectacularly, defeating Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open, thus becoming the youngest male player to secure all four Grand Slam titles in tennis history. However, since then, he has only claimed one title—victorious in Doha back in February—and has struggled in major clay-court events, including a loss to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo final, which also cost him his No. 1 ranking.
Sinner commented on Alcaraz’s absence from the tour, stating, “Tennis needs Carlos. The sport is better when he’s around,” expressing hope for Alcaraz’s recovery and return to competition. Sinner noted the importance of taking the necessary time for healing to avoid long-term issues and wished Alcaraz a speedy recovery, looking forward to seeing him back for Wimbledon in June.
In the previous year, Alcaraz triumphed over Sinner in both the Italian Open and French Open finals, with the latter being a memorable match where he saved three match points. Their rivalry continued at Wimbledon, where Alcaraz fell short against Sinner, but he redeemed himself with a victory at the US Open later on.
As it stands, the Italian Open is scheduled to commence on May 5, followed by the French Open starting on May 18.