The date of Carlos Alcaraz’s return to the competitive arena remains unknown.
Last week, Alcaraz suffered a wrist injury during his Barcelona Open first-round victory over Otto Virtanen.
The Spaniard subsequently withdrew from the event, ending his hopes of winning a third title in the Catalan city.
Will you still be watching the Madrid Open?
Two BIG withdrawals…
Shortly after departing from Barcelona, Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open.
Greg Rusedski, the former US Open finalist, has reacted to the news of Alcaraz’s injury.
Greg Rusedski says Carlos Alcaraz has made the correct decision by withdrawing from Barcelona and Madrid
“Well, I heard there’s rumours in Monte Carlo in the finals he wasn’t feeling his best with the wrist,” Rusedski [pictured below] said on the ‘Off Court with Greg Podcast.’
“Maybe he had a little niggle there, and sometimes you push through. And that’s normal to have niggles, aches, pains in certain areas.
“But he did the right thing to pull out of Barcelona with the injury. And if I look at this picture.. even if he misses the French [Open], it’s not such a big deal. Because health is your wealth.
“I mean, the guy’s won seven majors. He’s been world number one. He’s one of the greats of the game.
“And the best thing is not to have all the injections, because usually when you have a wrist problem, sometimes the doctors like to inject it because the fact that it gets rid of the swelling, it gets it easing up a little bit, and can help with the recuperation once the physio gets going.
“So I think he’s doing the right thing by not putting any pressure on himself, saying, ‘Look, I’m out of Madrid. I don’t think I’m going to make Rome. And I’m hoping to make the French Open.’
“And if he does, that’s great. But he’s not going to play until he’s fully healthy.
“And that’s the mistake most of us do as players. We don’t have the experience and the view to say, ‘Okay, let’s look at the long-term picture. I’ve got a 10-year career. I can’t afford to have wrist injury that is serious.’
Carlos Alcaraz’s points to defend through the 2026 clay-court swing
- Italian Open: 1000 points [2025 Champion – beat Jannik Sinner in the final]
- Roland Garros: 2000 points [2025 Champion – beat Jannik Sinner in the final]
“Look at [Juan Martin] del Potro, one of the greats of our game. He never solved his wrist problem and never came back to the player he once was – being one of those guys, you’re going to mix it in with the big three or four in the world.
“You know, take your time, make sure it’s 100 per cent ready to go, don’t rush it back.
“So I don’t think you really care about the ranking points. It’s about health is your wealth. When he’s healthy, he can win any major, he can win any tournament. So don’t panic.
“We hope to see him back for Paris, but he’s going to do the right thing because he realises it’s about a 10-year career trying to achieve his goal.
“So it looks pretty serious when you see a picture of him with a fiberglass cast. That might just be because he had the injection and the doctor said, ‘I don’t want any movement in the wrist.’
“So let’s follow this story for the next few weeks and fingers crossed, we see him in Paris.”
It remains to be seen whether Alcaraz will recover in time to play in Rome or Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz’s projected clay-court schedule
- Italian Open: May 6 to 17
- Roland Garros: May 24 to June 7
However, as Rusedski argued, Alcaraz has absolutely made the right choice by withdrawing from Barcelona and Madrid.
Alcaraz’s health is the most significant factor in any decision-making process, and the Spaniard has correctly afforded himself time to properly recover from his current physical issue.
If that recovery requires him to forgo the French Open – so be it.
The 22-year-old has at least another 10 years on the Tour – there is no need to rush his recovery and potentially cause further injury.
Carlos Alcaraz has missed the Madrid Open twice in a row
Last Friday, Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from Madrid on social media.
“There are some news that are incredibly hard to share,” he said. “Madrid is home, one of the most special places on my calendar, and that’s why it hurts so much not to be able to play here for the second year in a row.
“It hurts especially not to be in front of my people, in a tournament that means so much. Thank you for the unwavering affection, and I hope we see each other soon”
As mentioned by the man himself, this is not the first time Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Madrid Open.
Should Carlos Alcaraz skip Roland Garros if he’s not 100% fit?
Last year, Alcaraz was unable to compete in the Spanish capital due to a left hamstring injury.
Alcaraz’s last appearance at the Madrid Open occurred in 2024. That year, Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev.
Alcaraz, the champion in 2022 and 2023, will hope to participate in and win his third consecutive Madrid Open title in 2027.