Carlos Alcaraz’s first Grand Slam title defence of the season is set to get underway in less than a month at Roland Garros, but his chances of featuring in Paris have decreased recently.
Following an opening-round win at the Barcelona Open, Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament due to a right wrist injury.
The Spaniard then pulled out of his home Masters 1000 tournament, the Madrid Open, and has since been seen with a splint on his wrist.
Will Jannik Sinner win more Grand Slams than Carlos Alcaraz in 2026?
Which Grand Slams will Jannik Sinner win this year?
Alcaraz is a two-time defending champion at Roland Garros, having gone back-to-back last year after an enthralling comeback victory against his rival, Jannik Sinner, in the final.
With the injury setback, however, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, says it is difficult to imagine the 22-year-old will be featuring in Paris for a potential three-peat this year.
Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of playing at the French Open
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “Based on the information we have and what we’ve seen of the forearm of Carlos Alcaraz, I don’t see how he can play Roland Garros.
“First of all, I’m glad that Carlos Alcaraz is thinking about his future rather than thinking about the short term. How bad is the injury? I have no idea.
“Seeing those images makes me think I don’t know how he can play Roland Garros. Maybe it’s not that bad, and it was only security.
“I don’t know. But my experience tells me that if they decided to put a splint, it’s not a good sign. First of all, because the wrists have to be completely still.
How long will Jannik Sinner stay as world number one?
Sinner will begin his third reign after winning the Monte Carlo Masters…
“And second, for a week, two weeks, three weeks, I don’t know, the muscles are not going to work at all. The muscles are going to start to shrink, and then it will take time to come back.
“So for me, it’s difficult to imagine Carlos playing Roland Garros. Of course, it’s a difficult decision to not play in Madrid, which is his home city, and probably not play Rome and maybe skip even Roland Garros.
“He said the career is long. I’m not going to jeopardise potentially my career for short term, even though the short term is very important.
“Carlos is a double defending champion of Roland Garros. He’s also in a race to be number one with Jannik (Sinner), potentially can miss the second Grand Slam.
“A lot of people say that if Carlos doesn’t play Roland Garros, then for sure Jannik is going to win it.”
Carlos Alcaraz could make history at Roland Garros this year
Should Alcaraz play at the French Open this year, he will have the chance to record a historic feat just two players in the Open Era have managed.
Since 1968 (the start of the Open Era), only Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal have won three consecutive Roland Garros titles.
Borg won four straight crowns at the tournament from 1978 to 1981, while Nadal won four in a row on two separate occasions, and clinched five in a row once.
A triumph at the French Open would mark an eighth Grand Slam title for Alcaraz; a tally that would see him match Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
