Carlos Alcaraz’s involvement in the French Open is uncertain at this stage because of a wrist injury.
Alcaraz had only just returned from an arm injury, and has since revealed that the two are related to one another.
He admitted that he was feeling some pain while playing in Barcelona, but did not want to withdraw from the tournament straight away due to the impact it could have on him mentally.
Now, ahead of the Rome Masters, where he is expected to return, Alcaraz has given an update on his wrist injury and spoken about how close he came to returning for the Madrid Open last week.
Alcaraz showed up at the Laureus World Sports Awards with his wrist in a cast, adding to the speculation about how serious his injury might be.
Not long after the event, journalist Angel Garcia Muniz shared some insights on Alcaraz during an appearance on El Partidazo de COPE.
Muniz explained that Alcaraz has been dealing with inflammation in the tendon sheath of his wrist and hasn’t been able to move it for several days. He’s now waiting on a scan to find out just how bad it is.
“He has inflammation in the tendon sheath,” said Muniz. “The area has been immobilised for the past four days.
“They’re dreaming of Roland Garros, but now that dream seems a bit further away. Everything will depend on what shows up on the ultrasound.”
The French Open is still five weeks away, giving Alcaraz some time to recover before he begins his title defense as two-time defending champion.
Even though he wasn’t competing in the Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz was still in the city for the Laureus World Sports Awards, where he picked up the Sportsman of the Year honour for the first time.
Speaking to Teledeporte, Alcaraz said: “We’ll have to wait and see. The next test will be crucial, so we’re doing everything we can to make sure it goes well. After the test, we’ll see how the injury is and what steps to take next.”
“I can’t say a deadline because in the end, it can be before or after, we don’t know so far. What we can guarantee is that we will do our best to be there as soon as possible,” Alcaraz also told Eldesmarque.
He made it clear that while his goal is to play at Roland Garros, he won’t take any risks if his recovery isn’t complete by then.
“We have a very long career, many years ahead of us,” said Alcaraz. “Forcing it at this Roland-Garros could harm me a lot for future tournaments. We’ll see what the test shows… I prefer to come back a little later, but very well, rather than come back quickly but badly.
“I have a long career ahead, I’m not afraid to skip what I have to skip. We are clear that this has to recover very well if I don’t want it to harm me in the future.”
The 22-year-old’s next scheduled appearance is at the Italian Open in Rome—an event where he’s defending champion—but with just two weeks until play begins, his availability remains uncertain.
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