Carlos Alcaraz says the results from an upcoming ‘crucial’ test will determine if he will be fit enough to play at next month’s French Open.
The world No.2 has been hampered by a wrist injury that first emerged last week at the Barcelona Open. During his first round match, Alcaraz requested a medical timeout for treatment in the area before going on to win in straight sets. However, the following day, he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after a medical examination determined that the injury was more troublesome than initially thought.
As a result, Alcaraz has also pulled out of this week’s Madrid Masters and is looking increasingly unlikely to play in Rome, which takes place immediately after.
“The next test will be crucial,” Alcaraz said on Monday when speaking to Spanish television channel TVE.
“We’ve been trying to do everything we can do to make sure that this test goes well. I’m trying to be very patient. But we are good, we are just waiting a little bit.
“We have a few tests in the next few days and then we will see how the injury is, and what the next steps will be,” he added.
Alcaraz provided an update on his health whilst attending the Laureus World Sports Awards, where he was named Sportsman of the Year. He has become the fourth tennis player to win the award since its inception in 2000 after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Speaking to the media, the 22-year-old stated that he is prepared not to play at this year’s French Open if doing so would risk long-term damage to his wrist.
“God willing, I have a very long career ahead of me, many years, and pushing myself too hard at this Roland Garros could seriously harm me in future tournaments,” he said.
“Things happen in the professional world. You have to accept them.
“I need to recover really well if I don’t want it to affect me later on.”
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Alcaraz’s wrist has been in a splint since Friday. Speaking on the country’s radio programme El Partidazo de COPE, journalist Angel Garcia Muñiz says the exact problem Alcaraz is suffering from is inflammation of the tendon (or tendons) in his wrist. The severity of this will become clearer when the test results come back.
The Spaniard’s setback comes after what has been a successful first quarter of the 2026 season. He started the year by winning his first Australian Open title before winning an ATP 500 event in Doha. Since then, he has reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells and the final in Monte Carlo.
Alcaraz is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and is the youngest man in the Open Era to have achieved a Career Slam. He hasn’t missed a major event since the 2023 Australian Open, when he couldn’t play due to a right leg injury.
