Carlos Alcaraz lost his world No. 1 spot to Jannik Sinner after the Monte Carlos Open and missed Roland Garros.
Published April 24, 2026
Reigning two-time French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz has announced that he will not compete in this year’s tournament as he is recovering from a wrist injury.
The Spaniard said on Friday that the clay season had been canceled and he had been ruled out of the Italian Open following test results on his right wrist.
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“I have decided that the wisest thing to do is to be cautious and not participate in Rome or Roland Garros,” Alcaraz said on social media.
“This is a difficult time for me, but I am confident that I will be strong and get through it,” Alcaraz said, adding that he and his team will monitor his recovery and decide when and where he will return.
Alcaraz defeated Otto Virtanen in the first round of the Barcelona Open last week, but then withdrew from the tournament with an injury.
The 22-year-old announced his withdrawal from the Madrid Masters on April 17, raising concerns about whether he will be able to play at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam with his victory at the Australian Open in January. He holds a record of 22 wins and 3 losses this season and also won the title in Doha.
Alcaraz, ranked second in the world, lost his top spot on April 12 when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion won at Roland Garros in 2024 and 2025. Last year, he saved three championship points against Sinner in the longest French Open final in history.
The Italian, who has never won the French Open, could take advantage of Alcaraz’s absence. This year’s competition will be held from May 24th to June 7th.
“This is sad news for all of us. I’m a competitor who wants to play against the best players in the world, and he’s definitely the best player on this surface,” said Sinner, who won in the second round of the Madrid Open on Friday.
“As young as he and I are, we need to look at our bodies first before something worse happens.”
Sinner said he hopes Alcaraz will be back playing in time for Wimbledon, the third major tournament of the year.
“It’s very sad news. I didn’t expect it, but he and his team know very well (what they’re doing),” the 24-year-old continued.
“Hopefully he can come back to Wimbledon and we’re all looking forward to a great fight in the future.”
Alcaraz admitted earlier this week that if it was better for his long-term career not to play in Paris, he would make that decision.
“I’d rather come back a little bit later in good shape than come back too soon and risk aggravating this injury even more,” he explained on Monday.
“I have a long career ahead of me, so I’m not afraid to miss out on what I have to miss to recover as much as possible.
“I hope it’s nothing serious, but I need to make a full recovery if I don’t want to cause any problems in the future.”
This is Alcaraz’s second time missing out on a Grand Slam, having made his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open. The Spaniard has missed the 2023 Melbourne Games due to a hamstring injury.
