The Spaniard started the year so well, winning the first two tournaments at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam, before going on to seal the title at the Qatar Open. His season started to derail slightly after losing his first match in 2026 against Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of Indian Wells. He then backed it up with a third round upset defeat against Sebastian Korda in the Miami Open.
He had some time to rest and prepare for the imminent clay swing, beginning with a title defence at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Not only was his crown relinquished in Monaco, his rival Jannik Sinner stole away the world number one spot from him in a period where he was starting to dominate. It felt like Alcaraz was the only one who could have kept up with the Italian, but any hopes of them continuing their rivalry has faded.
Courier aggress with ‘cautious’ Alcaraz
While it is tragic that tennis fans will not be able to see him in action, Courier felt that Alcaraz did the right thing by taking a cautious approach with wrist injuries in the past leading to the downfall of many careers.
The four-time Grand Slam champion noted a key example. “Juan Martin Del Potro is the prime example of a player who was a champion and will always be a champion but as we look at what his career might have been, had he stayed healthy, will always wonder.”
He was not willing to sit in the same position years from now and have to speak on the same occurring for the seven-time Grand Slam champion. “I don’t want to be sitting here in 20 years wondering what Carlos Alcaraz might have achieved if he had just taken a little bit more time to take care of his wrist. He’s so smart to be careful with the wrist.”
Backing Nadal’s view
Many figures in the sport have come out and shared their two cents on the ongoing situation. One of the most notable is fellow Spaniard and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal who also shared the same cautious approach Alcaraz is taking and Courier advises.
“The wrist is a very delicate area on the body. And Nadal is a warrior, no question about that,” he continued. “I think Alcaraz is a warrior too. You can ask Rafa what he thinks about what Carlos is doing. I’m sure he would support what Carlos is doing because I think there’s just real logic to it. You take your time, you make sure that you’re ready. Take your time and make sure that you’re right when you come back.”
The fact that he is only 22-years-old and has another 10-15 years at least competing in the sport makes the decision to suffer in the short term an obvious one. “When you come back, you have a long career. Careers last longer,” Courier added. “And I think in the last 15 to 20 years, careers have extended. And we’ve seen players oftentimes in their mid-30s playing the best tennis of their life. So with modern medicine, surgeries, players are getting back from them faster. Players understand how to take better care of their bodies. There’s a lot of things that players are doing these days that are helping them play at a high level for a longer period of time.”