Carlos Alcaraz suffered an injury in the Barcelona Open, leaving his status for the French Open in major doubt.
Carlos Alcaraz announced Friday that he will not be competing at Roland Garros this year. The two-time defending champion of the French Open will not be able to go for the three-peat and defend his title this year. Alcaraz already won the first major of the year at the Australian Open, completing the career Grand Slam. After winning each of the last two French Opens, Alcaraz seemed to be on a Rafael Nadal-esque path to dominance at Roland Garros. It’s entirely possible that Alcaraz still dominates in Paris over the next decade, but he won’t do so this year.
Alcaraz sustained an injury to his wrist in his first match at the Barcelona Open. He finished the match and defeated Otto Virtanen. However, Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament before his next match.
Not only will Carlos Alcaraz miss the French Open, but he will also be sidelined for the Rome Masters, where he is also the defending champion. This theoretically opens the door for Jannik Sinner to reclaim his position as the No. 1 player in the world. Alcaraz has dominated Sinner on clay over the years, but this is Sinner’s chance to prove he can take care of business on this surface. Roland Garros is the title that Sinner is missing to claim the career Grand Slam himself. With Alcaraz out of the way, this could be Sinner’s best chance to claim that title.
