"This is what happens to professional athletes," Alcaraz told Spanish TVE on 22/4. "Ultimately, you just have to get back up and try to become stronger than ever. I hope to return to play soon."
Concerns linger about Alcaraz missing the clay-court Grand Slam, Roland Garros, which starts 24/5. The 22-year-old, who has won 22 of 25 matches this year, mentioned he would undergo another check-up on his right wrist injury. This issue forced his withdrawal before the quarterfinals at the Barcelona Open last week.
"I've already had a minor check-up. But we want to wait a bit longer and then check again," the world number two added. "It's not a different check, just an additional one to see how the situation progresses after a week of rest. Then we will decide."
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Alcaraz at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier in April, where he reached the final and lost to Jannik Sinner. *Photo: Reuters* |
Regardless of the outcome, Alcaraz has no intention of returning to play until his body is ready. The player, who has won 26 ATP Tour titles, is approaching his recovery with a long-term perspective.
Alcaraz is currently second in the ATP Race To Turin standings after winning the Australia Open and Doha this year. "I'd rather return a little later but be fully recovered. I need to take care of myself because I want a long career," he stated.
His withdrawals from the Barcelona and Madrid tournaments allowed Jannik Sinner to widen the gap in the race for world number one. However, Alcaraz expressed patience in his effort to catch up with Sinner, who claimed the number one spot after defeating him in the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters final earlier this month.
"I'm not worried about that. In fact, in Monte Carlo, I said that I was playing well, wasn't injured, but could still lose the number one spot," the Spanish player said regarding the competition with Sinner. "This has been a very interesting competition over the past few weeks. Sometimes he's number one, sometimes I'm number one, and now he holds that position for a while. We will try to do everything in the best way, and if we do it right, hopefully, the number one spot will return."
While recovering from injury, Alcaraz recently received his first Male Athlete of the Year award at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2026. The Female Athlete of the Year award also went to a tennis player, world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Vy Anh
