April 24 (Reuters) – Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of a French Open ‘three-peat’ were effectively ended on Friday after the world number two said a wrist injury has ruled him out of Roland Garros next month.
The seven-times Grand Slam champion picked up the injury in the first round of the Barcelona Open earlier this month before withdrawing from the tournament.
Scans showed the issue was more serious than initially thought, after which the 22-year-old also withdrew from the Madrid Open. The Spaniard said he would also skip the Masters tournament in Rome.
“After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing to do is to be cautious and not participate in Rome or Roland Garros as we wait to evaluate the progress so we can decide when to return to the court,” Alcaraz said.
“This is a difficult time for me, but I am sure we will come out of it stronger.”
Having won the Australian Open earlier this year, Alcaraz was gunning for his third straight Roland Garros crown after also winning the title in 2024.
He will now skip the entire claycourt swing, with one eye on Wimbledon in June. The last time Alcaraz missed a major was the 2023 Australian Open due to a leg injury.
A claycourt specialist, Alcaraz had won titles at Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros last year while he had also finished runner-up in Barcelona.
He beat current world number one Jannik Sinner in last year’s marathon final at Roland Garros, saving three championship points before coming out on top after five hours and 29 minutes.
Alcaraz’s withdrawal paves the way for Sinner to potentially complete a Career Slam. The Italian has won the Australian Open twice, Wimbledon last year and the U.S. Open in 2024.
Sinner, who learned about Alcaraz’s withdrawal during the post-match interview following his win over Benjamin Bonzi at the Madrid Open, wished the Spaniard a quick recovery.
“It’s sad for tennis. Me being a competitor, I always want to play against the best in the world and he definitely is the best in the world here on this surface… I wish him to recover as fast as possible,” Sinner said.
The main draw at the French Open gets underway on May 24.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Toby Davis and Christian Radnedge)
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