Carlos Alcaraz has announced that he will miss Roland Garros, the tournament he had won in each of the past two years. The decision shocked fans, journalists and even his rivals. But if it has been made and announced a full month before the start of the Paris major, then things are clearly much worse than initially assumed. After the only match he played and won in Barcelona, Carlos said he felt it was nothing serious. Yet by the time he appeared at the Laureus Awards ceremony, he was wearing a wrist brace.
With the examples of Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem in front of us — both tormented by right-wrist problems that denied them even more successful careers — the step taken by the Spanish player and his team looks considered and mature. Alcaraz has already achieved his main goal for the season, completing the career Grand Slam in the winter, and he wants to play for as long as possible. In this situation, rest and a full recovery are a measured decision.
Carlos’s current situation can easily be compared with Novak Djokovic’s stretch beginning in the summer of 2016. Nole, who completed the career Slam in Paris ten years ago, then went the next two years without any major titles at all. At first, it looked like a lack of motivation; then came the elbow injury and the absence from his beloved hard courts, followed by yet another triumphant renaissance. For Alcaraz, looking toward the records of the greatest, it is a useful example of how Djokovic dealt with difficult physical and emotional periods. True, the difference is that Novak’s decline came around the age of 30, while Carlos turns only 23 next week. The question is how quickly the Spaniard can heal the injury and rediscover his motivation.
For now, though, let us focus on Roland Garros, which will be played without its defending champion. It is a huge loss for the tournament and the fans — but certainly not for his opponents, whose chances automatically increase. The moment Carlos made his early announcement, the mass coronation of Sinner as the champion in Paris began. The Spaniard and the Italian have spent more than two years keeping everyone else away from the biggest trophies, but now the world No. 1 will have to carry out the mission alone. Will the universe produce a neat bit of symmetry for the two strongest players in the world — 5–5 across the last ten Slams? If there is any reason to doubt it, it is only because Jannik is playing absolutely everything right now. Then again, so far it has not hurt him.
Among those who, as usual, continue to wait for their chance — and Carlos’s absence from the clay-court major is exactly that — are Djokovic and Zverev. Novak, who has not played since Indian Wells, will, I am sure, begin serious preparations for Roland Garros if the injury is not too serious. What had lately looked like a task with two asterisks automatically becomes a task with one. Sascha Zverev is ready to lift his head as well: in all likelihood, he will be the second seed in Paris and will not meet either Sinner or Alcaraz before a potential final.
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