Carlos Alcaraz left the Barcelona Open with a double setback, failing to reclaim the No. 1 ranking and exiting after suffering a wrist injury in his Round of 32 win over Otto Virtanen. With the injury yet to fully heal, he was forced to withdraw from both the Madrid Open and the French Open. As the news reached his fierce on-court rival, Jannik Sinner, his composed, classy response quietly reinforced why he stands apart from the field.

Along with the French Open, he also withdrew from the Italian Open. Being the defending champion in both tournaments, the 22-year-old is set to lose a total of 3,000 points in the rankings. Amid these tough times, Alcaraz has found support from none other than Jannik Sinner, who feels that his withdrawal is “sad” for tennis as a whole.

“First of all, tennis needs Carlos. Tennis is much better spirit when he’s around, and also for me personally, it’s nice when he’s around,” Sinner said, reacting to Alcaraz’s French Open withdrawal. “I do believe he’s going to come back stronger than before, but I also believe that it’s good that he and his team take the time, because if you come back too early, then maybe you have a bigger problem afterwards.

“I send him a speedy recovery, even though it’s painful and very sad for tennis.”

Now, if you think such a display from the Italian has come for the first time, you may be mistaken. Back in September last year, after the two secured their places in the US Open final, the Italian had nothing but words of praise for his opponent, highlighting his recent progress.

“He has improved a lot the serve. I feel like he’s serving much better with the better pace, but the percentage is very high all the time. Much more solid, you know, for example, because maybe before there were more ups and downs. Now he’s very consistent. Also, if you watch all the tournaments, he’s going very, very far. So many, many improvements, you know. But I always say that when you are young, you know, one year or two years, they make a big difference,” Jannik Sinner said.

And what the 24-year-old said makes sense, as Alcaraz’s run in the first four months of the year saw him bag the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. But that momentum has now stalled because of his injury.

Concerns around Alcaraz’s injury had significantly increased after he was seen wearing a cast at the Laureus Sports Awards. It was quite obvious that his recovery wasn’t going as he had planned. The seven-time Grand Slam winner had also expressed uncertainty over his comeback.

“We have some tests coming up in a few days, and from there, we’ll see how the injury is and what the next steps are,” he said.

Only a few days later, the Spaniard shared the unfortunate update and penned an emotional note to his fans.

“After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing is to be cautious and not participate in Rome and Roland Garros, while we wait to assess the evolution to decide when we will return to the court. It’s a complicated moment for me, but I’m sure we’ll come out stronger from here,” Alcaraz wrote in a post on X.

When it comes to wrist injuries in professional tennis, they carry a lot of weight. Every shot, every session, and every tournament adds to the load of playing across different surfaces. And former US Open champion Dominic Thiem knows that reality all too well. After battling persistent wrist problems that ultimately led to his retirement in 2024, Thiem spoke about how the constant repetition of striking thousands of balls over the years can gradually take its toll.

When you factor this in with the demands of the modern tennis schedule, Alcaraz is staring down a tough road. In fact, he has been one of the most vocal critics, often pointing to the relentless length of the season and the toll it takes on the body.

His recent clay-court schedule had raised some questions, too. Just two days after a grueling final in Monte Carlo against his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, the Spaniard was back on court in Barcelona. In a sport that offers little time to recover, that quick turnaround may have come at a cost.

However, the world No. 2 has found support from numerous players ever since he made the announcement public. One of them is Coco Gauff, who described him as a “super nice” person and wished him all the best for his recovery.

Coco Gauff reflects on Carlos Alcaraz’s sudden withdrawal

“I’m so sad about Carlos. That’s the first thing I saw after I finished my match. I wish him all the best. He’s a nice person. I don’t know him super well, but every time we interact, he’s super nice and just one of those players that makes the room lighter,” Gauff said during an Instagram Live.

Gauff believes that Alcaraz took the right call by not pushing himself unnecessarily. She noted that this decision prevents a situation that could have worsened his injury and might have even turned out to be a “career-ending mistake.”

“So, you don’t wish anyone injured, but especially after defending a big title and things like that. I wish him a speedy recovery for Wimbledon. I’m glad he’s trying not to force it and maybe make a career-ending mistake,” she added.

This is only the second time that Alcaraz has missed out on a Grand Slam due to an injury. He had previously pulled out of the Australian Open in 2023 due to a hamstring issue. Having withdrawn from the second Grand Slam of the year, the 22-year-old’s main aim now will be to return to action by the time Wimbledon rolls in from June 29.

Will Alcaraz be able to make his return as the grass-court season commences after the French Open, or will he have to sit on the sidelines for even longer?