Carlos Alcaraz has announced his withdrawal from the 2026 French Open.
Alcaraz made the announcement during Sinner’s first-round match in Madrid.
After his three-set win over Benjamin Bonzi, Sinner spoke to Spanish media on court and shared his initial thoughts on the news.
“Just now?” Sinner asked when told about Alcaraz’s decision to pull out.
“These kinds of injuries, I guess you have to go very, very slow, but it’s sad for tennis.
“Carlos, defending champion, and me, being a competitor, you always want to play against the best in the world, and he is definitely the best in the world here on this surface.
“So, it’s sad news. I wish him to recover as fast as possible.
Alcaraz got past Sinner in both his first (2021 Croatia Open) and most recent (2025 French Open) clay-court title matches.
Sinner heads into Paris as the clear favourite to win the title and complete his Career Grand Slam. But with Alcaraz out of action, any sense of advantage is tempered by their close friendship.
The two have played 17 times already. Although fans were hoping for another matchup this year on clay, it won’t happen now that Alcaraz is out. His health remains a top priority right now after what he has already achieved so far this season.
Sinner’s name has already been floated around as the French Open favourite, but that doesn’t mean he’ll have it all his own way in Paris.
Even with Alcaraz out of the picture, plenty of players who know their way around Roland Garros will back themselves to make a deep run this year.
Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka have all played finals at Roland Garros over the past decade and are expected to be in the mix again this year.
Tsitsipas and Wawrinka might not be favourites to go all the way anymore, but the other three still look dangerous.
Djokovic is still searching for his 25th Grand Slam title and while he’s 38 now, he has shown time and again that he can turn it on when it matters most.
Zverev came within a set of winning Roland Garros two years ago. It was Alcaraz who stopped him then. With Carlos out this time, maybe Zverev finally gets over the line.
Ruud hasn’t been on fire lately either, but he always seems to peak on Paris clay. If he’s placed on the opposite side of Sinner in the draw it wouldn’t be shocking if he found himself back in another final.
The 2026 French Open gets underway on Sunday, May 24th.
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