Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from French Open due to wrist injury
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will not defend his French Open title due to a right wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open.
Alcaraz’s absence marks a notable gap in the competition for both the Italian Open and French Open, affecting his title defence and overall momentum.
“It’s a complicated moment for me, but I’m sure we’ll come out stronger from here,” Alcaraz shared regarding his withdrawal from upcoming tournaments.
Key developments
Carlos Alcaraz will not defend his French Open title due to a right wrist injury. He confirmed his withdrawal following medical tests that advised caution for both the Italian Open and Roland Garros.
The two-time defending champion sustained the injury during his first-round win at the Barcelona Open and has since missed the Madrid Open. Alcaraz attended the Laureus World Sports Awards wearing a wrist support but was unable to compete.
This setback follows a strong start to the season, where Alcaraz captured the Australian Open title but has only won one event since, losing the Monte Carlo final to Jannik Sinner.
Reigning two-time champ Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of French Open due to wrist injury
Published on •Updated
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won’t attempt to defend his French Open title due to an injury to his right wrist.
Alcaraz posted on X on Friday that he would also not play in the preceding Italian Open in Rome, where he also won last year.
No. 2-ranked Alcaraz was injured at the Barcelona Open this month during his first-round win and withdrew the day after.
He pulled out of this week’s Madrid Open and attended the Laureus World Sports Awards in the Spanish capital on Monday wearing a wrist support.
Alcaraz was named world sportsman of the year at the gala.
Alcaraz confirmed he was a no-go for Paris after undergoing more medical tests on Friday.
“After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing is to be cautious and not participate in Rome and Roland Garros,” he wrote in a post on X.
“It’s a complicated moment for me, but I’m sure we’ll come out stronger from here.”
Alcaraz started the year in sensational form, beating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. That made him the youngest man ever to win all four major tennis titles.
He has won only one title since, at Doha in February, and will be without a title in the major clay-court events.
He lost the Monte Carlo final to Jannik Sinner at the start of this month and surrendered the No. 1 ranking to his Italian rival.
Last year, Alcaraz beat Sinner in the finals of the Italian Open and French Open, where he saved three match points in an epic match.
Alcaraz then lost the Wimbledon final to Sinner before beating him again in the US Open final.
The Italian Open starts on 6 May, while the French Open begins slightly later on 18 May.
Additional sources • AP