Carlos Alcaraz out of French Open with wrist injury, Jannik Sinner urges him not to rush back

Carlos Alcaraz's hopes of a French Open three-peat have been ended after the world number two revealed a wrist injury has ruled him out of Roland Garros next month.

The seven-time 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 on social media.

"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 clay court swing, with an eye on Wimbledon in June.

The last time Alcaraz missed a major was the 2023 Australian ⁠Open due to a leg injury.

A clay court master, ‌Alcaraz won titles at Monte ‌Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros last year and 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 and coming back from two sets down to win 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 US Open in 2024 — but he said he simply hoped to see the Spaniard back on court soon.

"I don't know. I think this [his chances of winning] is not what we should talk about," Sinner said.

"I think most important is to say that, first of all tennis needs Carlos — tennis is in a much better spirit when he's around. And also for me personally it's nice when he's around, it makes me look also in the draw and single matches in a different way."

The nature of the injury is somewhat concerning considering the careers that have been curtailed or ended by wrist complaints.

2009 US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro battled wrist issues for much of his career, Dominic Thiem started struggling with his wrist a year after his breakthrough US Open title in 2020 and retired in 2024, while Australian Nick Kyrgios has also endured difficulties.

"I do believe he's [Alcaraz] going to come back stronger than before. But injury is always tough, especially wrist," Sinner said.

"There are certain areas of our body which are very sensitive, and the wrist we saw with those other players in the past that they can complicate our lives … so, I hope he's gonna come back and he will not have any further injuries.

"But I also believe that it's good that he and his team takes the time, because if you come back too early then maybe you have bigger problem afterwards, and we all want that he's competitive from when he's gonna come back."

The main draw at the French Open gets underway on May 24, with the rest of the field aiming to become the first men's major singles winner not named Alcaraz or Sinner since 2023.

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