Carlos Alcaraz will not defend his French Open title for a third consecutive year due to an injury to his right wrist.
On Friday, Alcaraz shared on X that he would also miss the upcoming Italian Open in Rome, a tournament he claimed victory in last year.
The world number two sustained his injury during his first-round match at the Barcelona Open earlier this month, leading to his withdrawal the following day.
This week, he also pulled out of the Madrid Open and was seen at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday, where his wrist was in a brace. He received the accolade for world sportsman of the year.
After undergoing additional medical evaluations on Friday, Alcaraz confirmed he would not be participating in Paris.
“Following the results of today’s tests, we believe it is best to be cautious and refrain from competing in Rome and Roland Garros,” he posted on X. “This is a challenging time for me, but I am confident we will emerge from this stronger.”
Alcaraz began the year exceptionally well, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open, making him the youngest male player to win all four major tennis titles.
Since then, he has secured only one title, winning in Doha in February, and will enter the major clay-court events without a title. He lost the Monte Carlo final earlier this month to Jannik Sinner, resulting in him relinquishing the No. 1 ranking to his Italian opponent.
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Sinner expressed his hope for Alcaraz’s swift return.
“Tennis needs Carlos,” Sinner remarked after winning his first-round match at the Madrid Open. “The sport is significantly better with him in it.”
“I hope he returns without further injuries. However, I also think it’s wise for him and his team to take the necessary time. Coming back too soon could lead to bigger issues later on.”
“We all want him to be competitive when he returns. I suppose his next target is Wimbledon in June, and I really hope he will be back by then. I wished him a speedy recovery; it’s painful and disappointing for all of us in tennis.”
Last year, Alcaraz triumphed over Sinner in the finals of both the Italian Open and the French Open, where he saved three match points in a thrilling encounter. He later lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon final but defeated him in the final of the U.S. Open.
The Italian Open is set to begin on May 5, followed by the French Open on May 18.
Mboko struggles on serve
Victoria Mboko from Burlington, Ontario, and Gabriel Diallo from Montreal have both exited the Madrid Open following losses in the second round of the high-level clay court tournament.
Mboko was decisively defeated 6-4, 6-1 by American player Caty McNally, while Diallo withdrew from his match against Danish qualifier Elmer Moller due to an injury while trailing 7-5, 3-3.
Seeded 10th in the women’s draw, Mboko only managed to earn one break point against McNally. She faced difficulties on her serve, confronting 12 break points, defending eight, and committing six double faults.
The 19-year-old Mboko was making her debut in Madrid after recovering from dental surgery, which caused her to miss Canada’s 3-1 defeat to Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
She had reached at least the quarterfinals in her last three WTA 1000 tournaments, including a final appearance at the Qatar Open in February, although those matches were on her preferred hardcourt surface.
Diallo was trailing Elmer Moller 7-5, 3-3 when he had to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury.
This decision came shortly after Diallo had requested a medical timeout.
Diallo, who was seeded 32nd in the tournament, managed to break Moller once play resumed and had a double break point opportunity that could have put him ahead 4-2 in the second set, but he retired after Moller managed to hold serve.
Both Mboko and Diallo received first-round byes in Madrid as seeded players.
