Signs are ominous for Carlos Alcaraz’s participation in future tournaments this season due to the right wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open, which forced him to withdraw from the event ahead of his round-of-16 clash against Thomas Machac.
Subsequently, the Spaniard announced his withdrawal from the Mutua Madrid Open (Masters 1000) on Sunday, further raising doubts over future participation in the Rome Masters (Italian) and, ultimately, the French Open.
The defending Roland Garros champion dropped a major bombshell about his participation in the French Open during an exclusive interview at the gala ceremony of the Laureus Awards.
“As I said, I have a very long career ahead of me, many years of good tennis. Pushing myself too hard at this French Open could seriously hurt my chances in future tournaments, so we’ll see how the competition goes. I prefer to come back a little later and be in good shape, rather than come back a little earlier and be in bad shape,” Alcaraz said.
“You have to take care of yourself because a tennis player’s career can be very long. We’ll do our best to take care of ourselves now so we can return as soon as possible. The test I have ahead of me is just another one of the tests I’ve already had,” he added.
“I had one test, but it was just a fair one, so we decided to give ourselves some time before having a second test. It’s not a different test, just another one to see how the area is after a week of rest. Percentages? I don’t know, I can’t say anything right now,” the Spaniard concluded.
Carlos Alcaraz is Unconcerned About the Battle to Regain the No. 1 Rank
At the ceremony, when asked about his biggest competitor on the ATP circuit, who was also nominated for the prestigious award, Alcaraz showered praise on Jannik Sinner for an amazing season last year and was even elated to share the stage with him, both donning formal suits for the gala event.
Furthermore, when asked about the battle for the ATP World No. 1 rank, which has been swinging between the duo in recent years, Alcaraz said he was not concerned about regaining the No. 1 rank and was aware of his form coming into Monte Carlo, with foresight that he would lose the top seed to Sinner anyway.
“I’m not worried. I already said in Monte Carlo, when I was healthy and injury-free, that I was going to lose the number one spot anyway. The battle for number one between Jannik and me is proving to be very exciting; we’re sharing the weeks, although I think he’ll hold it a bit longer now,” Alcaraz said.
“In the end, our careers are very long; we have many years ahead of us, so we’ll try to work as hard as possible in the tournaments when we return. Right now, the main thing is to recover, train well, and get back to competing,” he added.
It will be interesting to see the return timeline and rehabilitation process of the Spaniard, who is at risk of losing a significant number of ATP ranking points in the upcoming claycourt events.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year in Madrid on Monday. The prestigious award comes on the heels of a thrilling 2025 campaign in which he won eight titles, including two Grand Slam titles, and reached another Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.
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