Defending champion Alcaraz to miss French Open

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Carlos Alcaraz has won 26 ATP Tour titles

291 CommentsTwo-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz says he will miss next month's French Open because of an ongoing wrist injury.

The world number two withdrew from last week's Barcelona Open after sustaining an injury to his right wrist in his first-round victory.

Alcaraz, 22, had tests to determine the severity of the issue and has subsequently pulled out of the Italian Open and French Open - both played on clay courts.

"This is a difficult time for me, but I am sure we will come out of this stronger."

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Alcaraz began the year by winning his first Australian Open title - becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam - and would have been looking to kick on further, as he often does when the clay season gets under way.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion won clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros last season, and reached the final in Barcelona.

He lost the world number one ranking to long-term rival Jannik Sinner this month, after losing to him in the Monte Carlo final, and could lose significant ground to the Italian in the rankings while sidelined.

It also opens up the opportunity for Sinner to secure his own career Grand Slam - winning each of the major tournaments at least once - with the French Open the only one missing from his collection.

Since qualifying for his first Slam in 2021, Spain's Alcaraz has only missed one - when he had to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open with a hamstring injury.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sinner (left) and Alcaraz have won a combined 11 Grand Slam titles

Alcaraz and Sinner have emerged as the leading forces in men's tennis over the past two years.

Each of the past nine Grand Slam titles have ended up in one of their hands - Alcaraz winning five and Sinner taking four.

Speaking after beating Benjamin Bonzi at the Madrid Open, Sinner said Alcaraz is "definitely the best player" on clay and wished him a speedy recovery.

"It is very sad news," Sinner said.

"Being that young like he is and like I am, we need to look at our bodies first before worse things [happen].

"Hopefully he can be back for Wimbledon and we all hope for great battles in the future."

Wrist injuries are notoriously problematic for tennis players - and taking a gamble when a problem arises can be very costly.

A player struggling with a wrist injury needs to carefully manage the issue and it was telling how Alcaraz, who generates so much power from his forehand, spoke in his statement about needing to "be cautious".

As was the fact he is not putting a time frame on his return.

Clearly there is a huge load put through the joint - not just as a player prepares for each tournament in their senior career - but across all the years they have been honing their technique since first picking up a racquet.

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, another explosive hitter who had to retire in 2024 after his own wrist problems, says the repetition of hitting thousands of balls across so many years is what makes the wrist so vulnerable.

Different balls across different tournaments - with varying weights and bounces - is seen as another reason why the stress put on the joint is exacerbated.

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Published2 JanuarySports scientists say the demands put on the top players is greater than ever before and Alcaraz himself has often complained about the length of the season.

Therefore, you have to wonder about the wisdom of Alcaraz's scheduling at the start of the clay-court season.

A fortnight ago, he went straight from the Monte Carlo final against his great rival Sinner on a Sunday to a first-round match at the Barcelona Open on the Tuesday.

Now Alcaraz is going to miss the clay-court Grand Slam, which he would love to dominate like his idol Rafael Nadal did - opening the door for the rest of the field.

Sinner is obviously the favourite as he looks to land the career Grand Slam, while Novak Djokovic - who will turn 39 as he makes another attempt for the elusive record 25th major - and the still Slam-less Alexander Zverev have also had their chances increase.

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