Carlos Alcaraz confirmed on Friday that he will not be present to defend his crown at 2026 Roland Garros. The Spaniard is still grappling with a right wrist injury suffered during the Barcelona Open, which has already forced him to miss the Madrid Masters and will now keep him out of the Rome Masters and the French Open.
“After reviewing the test results today, we have decided that the most prudent course of action is to be cautious and skip both Rome and Roland Garros, while we evaluate the recovery process to determine when I can return to the court,” Alcaraz shared on social media. “It is a difficult moment for me, but I am certain I will come back stronger”.
With his absence from the clay-court season confirmed, Alcaraz is now aiming for a return during the grass-court swing in June. It is highly probable that he will make his comeback at the Queen’s Club Championships or another warm-up event to find his footing before Wimbledon.
A massive opening for Jannik Sinner
Alcaraz’s unfortunate injury, which sidelines him until mid-June, provides Jannik Sinner with a golden opportunity to solidify his status as the undisputed World No. 1.
The rivalry between the two stars dominated the 2025 season, where they split the four Grand Slam titles: Sinner claimed the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while Alcaraz took Roland Garros and the US Open.
With his primary rival out of the picture for the next two months, Sinner—who is currently competing in Madrid—has the chance to sweep the upcoming 3,000 points available in Rome and Paris, potentially creating an insurmountable lead in the ATP Rankings.
Alcaraz likely to maintain World No.2 status despite absence
Despite confirming his withdrawal from both Rome and Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz is in a strong position to remain the World No. 2 when he eventually returns to competition. This stability is due to the substantial points cushion he has built over his closest pursuer in the ATP Rankings, Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz currently holds a commanding 12,960 points, while Zverev sits in third place with 5,255 points. Because of this massive gap of over 7,000 points, it is mathematically improbable for the German to overtake Alcaraz in the immediate future, even with the Spaniard unable to defend his titles in the coming weeks.
