Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from French Open as devastating statement issued

Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed that he will not compete at French Open this year as he battled an ongoing wrist injury.

During a match with qualifier Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open, world no.2 Alcaraz sustained an injury to his right wrist.

Following the match Alcaraz confirmed that he had withdrawn from the remainder of the competition, later pulling out of the Madrid Open for the second year in a row.

Back-to-back withdrawals ahead of a crucial period of the tennis calendar caused concern among fans that the Spaniard may not be available to compete at the French Open next month.

But now those fears have been realised, as Alcaraz has released a statement on social media confirming that he will not be able to play at either the Italian Open in Rome or the French Open in Roland Garros.

Confirming the news, he wrote: "After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing is to be cautious and not participate in Rome and Roland Garros, while we wait to assess the evolution to decide when we will return to the court.

"It's a complicated moment for me, but I'm sure we'll come out stronger from here."

Alcaraz is the back-to-back defending French Open champion having won the title for the first time in 2024 before doing so again by beating rival Jannik Sinner in an epic final last season.

Reacting to the news, the French Open released their own statement sending good wishes to Alcaraz in his recovery.

"Some heartbreaking news as Carlos Alcaraz, our 2024 and 2025 champion, will not be able to defend his title at Roland-Garros 2026 due to a wrist injury," the tournament confirmed.

"Wishing you all the best in your recovery Carlos, we’ll miss you!"

With the favourite now out of the running, all eyes will turn to Rolland Garros as Sinner will hope to complete the career Grand Slam while Novak Djokovic, should he be fit, will look to finally win a 25th Grand Slam title to his already impressive resume.

Meanwhile Alcaraz now faces a race to be back fully fit and ready to compete when Wimbledon gets underway at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in late June.