Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz casts doubt over French Open 2026 appearance: “Pushing now could harm me in the future”

Carlos Alcaraz attended the 2026 Laureus Awards gala wearing a brace on his right wrist.

The injury forced him to withdraw from the Barcelona Open and skip the Madrid Open, and concerns now extend further. With just a month to go before Roland-Garros, his participation in the Paris Grand Slam remains uncertain.

“Pushing myself for this Roland-Garros could seriously affect me in future tournaments. I would rather return later and fully fit than come back too soon, rushed and not at my best. I have to take care of myself because my career is going to be very long,” Alcaraz said in a press conference after being named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

The Paris 2024 tennis Olympic silver medallist admitted frustration that the injury had come during the only tournaments he could play on home soil, but stressed the importance of making a full recovery to avoid long-term complications.

With his 23rd birthday (5 May) approaching, the Spaniard is prioritising his physical condition over any single tournament, including Roland-Garros.

“If everything goes well, I have a very long career ahead of me, so I am not afraid to skip whatever I need to now in order to recover properly,” he said. “I need to recover fully if I do not want this to affect me in the future.”

Alcaraz suffered the injury during the first set of his opening round match at the Barcelona Open against Finland’s Otto Virtanen on 14 April.

“After returning a shot, I felt my wrist give way and started to notice discomfort that gradually worsened. I thought it was just soreness from the intensity of the week, but after the tests, it turned out to be a bit more serious than we expected,” he explained when announcing his withdrawal from the tournament.

A week later, Alcaraz will undergo further medical tests to assess his progress, although he declined to give a timeline for his return.

“It is a check to see how the wrist is after a week of rest,” he said at the Laureus Awards press conference.

“The next test will be crucial,” he added in comments to RTVE. “We are doing everything we can to make sure it goes well. I am trying to stay positive and upbeat, although these days are dragging on.”

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