Tag: Carlos Alcaraz

Reigning two-time French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz said on Friday he will not play at this year’s tournament as he recovers from a wrist injury.

The Spaniard said the call to shut down his clay season was made after he received the results of tests on his right wrist, also ruling him out of the Italian Open.

“We have decided that the most prudent thing to do is to be cautious and not participate in Rome or Roland Garros,” Alcaraz said on social media.

“This is a difficult time for me, but I’m sure we will come out of it stronger,” Alcaraz added, saying that he and his team would monitor his recovery before deciding when and where he would return.

Alcaraz sustained the injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open last week, where he beat Otto Virtanen but subsequently pulled out of the tournament.

The 22-year-old announced his withdrawal from the Madrid Masters on April 17, increasing concerns over whether he would be able to appear at the French Open.

Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in January with his triumph at the Australian Open. He holds a 22-3 record this season and also won a title in Doha.

Ranked second in the world, Alcaraz lost top spot following his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final on April 12.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner triumphed at Roland Garros in 2024 and 2025. He saved three championship points against Sinner last year in the longest French Open final in history.

The Italian, who has never won the French Open, may be able to capitalise on Alcaraz’s absence. This year’s tournament runs from May 24 to June 7.

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“It’s sad news for all of us, me being a competitor you want to play against the best players in the world and he’s definitely the best player on this surface,” said Sinner, after winning a second round match at the Madrid Open on Friday.

“Being that young like he is and like I am, we need to look at our bodies first before worse things (happen).”

Sinner said he hoped Carlos Alcaraz would be back playing by the time the year’s third Grand Slam, at Wimbledon, arrives.

“It is very sad news, I was not expecting it but he and his team know very well (what they are doing),” continued the 24-year-old.

“Hopefully he can be back for Wimbledon and we all hope for great battles in the future.”

Alcaraz admitted earlier this week that if it was better for his long-term career not to play in Paris then he would take that decision.

“I’d rather come back maybe a bit later, but in great shape, than come back quickly and risk making this injury worse,” he explained on Monday.

“I have a long career ahead of me, so I’m not afraid to miss what I have to miss in order to recover as well as possible.

“I hope it’s nothing serious, but I need to fully recover if I don’t want this to cause me problems in the future.”

It will be just the second Grand Slam that Alcaraz has missed since making his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open. The Spaniard withdrew from the 2023 edition in Melbourne with a hamstring injury.

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French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz insisted Monday he would rather miss defending the Roland Garros title in May rather than rush treatment on a “serious” wrist injury.

The 22-year-old pulled out of the Barcelona clay-court tournament last week when he felt his wrist “give out on a return” and then revealed the injury to be “a more serious injury than any of us expected”.

He then pulled out of the Madrid Open on Friday, casting doubt on his participation in Paris as of May 18.

On Monday, that doubt deepened when he told the press at an award ceremony he was taking a long-term view.

“I’d rather come back a little later but in great shape than come back early, rushing around, and unwell.”

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“God willing, I have a very long career ahead of me, many years, and pushing myself too hard at this Roland Garros could seriously harm me in future tournaments,” he said Monday.

“Things happen in the professional world. You have to accept them,” he said. “I need to recover really well if I don’t want it to affect me later on.”

The world number two lost his top ranking following his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final on April 12.

Before that, Alcaraz had won his past 17 matches on clay, dating back to last season when he lifted titles in Rome and at Roland Garros.

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World number two Carlos Alcaraz eased to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen on Tuesday to begin his push for a third Barcelona Open title.

The Spaniard, who lost the Monte Carlo Masters final to new number one Jannik Sinner on Sunday, can reclaim top spot if he triumphs this week in Barcelona, as he did in 2022 and 2023.

Alcaraz, who finished as runner-up last year in Catalonia, started the first round clash slowly but found his rhythm in a dominant second set.

“I didn’t have much time to adjust in terms of training — this morning was the first practice session I’d done here in Barcelona, which makes it a bit hard to find good sensations at the start,” said Alcaraz afterwards.

“I’m happy to have come through the problems I had in the first set. Little by little, I started feeling maybe a bit better, and I’m happy to win the match in straight sets and give myself another chance to try to feel a bit better in the next round.”

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Alcaraz received some treatment from the physio on his forearm, but said he hoped it was “nothing” and, without time to rest between tournaments, that it was normal to have “little niggles”.

World number 130 Virtanen started strongly in front of a full crowd at the court named after Spanish great Rafael Nadal, pushing hard on Alcaraz’s serve, while holding his own relatively comfortably.

However, Carlos Alcaraz broke in the 10th and final game of the first set to take the lead.

In the second set, the players exchanged breaks before Alcaraz broke to love and consolidated for a 4-1 lead. Alcaraz opened up a triple match point on Virtanen’s serve and hit a cross-court winner to capitalise on the first of those.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner will face Czech Tomas Machac in the second round.

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Carlos Alcaraz lined up a blockbuster Monte Carlo Masters final with chief rival Jannik Sinner after the Spaniard ended the run of local boy Valentin Vacherot in the last four on Saturday.

Alcaraz saw off Vacherot 6-4, 6-4 to stay on track to defend his title and set up a Sunday showdown with Sinner for the world number one ranking.

It will be the first meeting this season between the world’s top two players and will decide who will be world No.1 come Monday when the new ATP rankings are released.

“I think it’s the dream spot for everyone I would say. I’m fighting for a second Monte Carlo title, he’s fighting for his first one,” said Alcaraz of Sunday’s final.

“It’s going to be a really special one. The No.1 is on the line, which will make tomorrow even more special.”

The 22-year-old Alcaraz is trying to keep hold of top spot and holds a 10-6 lead over Sinner in the head-to-head series.

Alcaraz broke Vacherot three times to wrap up victory in 84 minutes and is bidding for his third title of the season after winning the Australian Open and in Doha.

“I’m just happy to win this really difficult match against Valentin,” said Alcaraz.

“He’s playing great tennis with a lot of confidence right now, playing in his hometown. It was really tough to get the win, but I’m really excited about my first meeting with Jannik in 2026.”

Sinner eased his way into the Monte Carlo final for the first time with a clinical 6-1, 6-4 semi-final win over Alexander Zverev earlier on Saturday.

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The 24-year-old Italian becomes the first player to reach all three finals of the season’s first three Masters 1000 events since Novak Djokovic in 2015.

Roger Federer, in 2006, and Rafael Nadal, 2011, are the only two other players to achieve the feat.

“I’m very happy,” said Sinner.

“We came here trying to give myself some feedback (on clay) and now finding myself in the final means a lot to me.”

Sinner said he had felt in top form right from the outset of the match against his German opponent, ranked third in the world.

“Obviously every match, every day is different, so I’m very happy about today’s performance. I felt really solid from the beginning.

“When you are a break up straight away, it changes the dynamic of the match, so very happy and let’s see what’s coming in the final.”

As in Indian Wells and Miami, Sinner, 24, had the measure of Zverev who has not prevailed in their meetings since the round of 16 at the US Open in September 2023.

Extremely aggressive from the start, Sinner blew the German away in the opening set, breaking him three times and wrapping it up in 34 minutes.

In the second set, Zverev put up more resistance, finding his first serve again, but he still had to battle every time to hold.

He finally folded after 82 minutes on another blistering forehand from Sinner, who has lost only one set in his last 21 matches at Masters 1000 events.

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World number one Carlos Alcaraz was dialed in on Friday, powering past rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Miami Open.

The 22-year-old Spaniard used an early break in each set and saved all three break points he faced in a confident performance at Hard Rock Stadium, where 19-year-old Fonseca was cheered by a raucous contingent of fans.

“I was really good from the beginning until the last ball,” Alcaraz said. “I know how good Joao is and that’s why I was really focused, every point, every shot, trying to figure out what is the best possible shot for me.”

Alcaraz bounced back from his semi-final loss to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells last week to improve to 17-1 in 2026.

That includes an Australian Open title that made him the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam and a title in Doha.

Alcaraz gained the upper hand against 39th-ranked Fonseca with a break for 2-1 in the opening set, delivering a blistering forehand service return winner on break point.

He closed out the set with a love game, broke Fonseca to open the second and secured the victory with his eighth ace on match point.

It was extra satisfying since Alcaraz was stunned in his Miami opener by David Goffin last year.

“He had a lot of chances to stay in the match to (keep it) tight, so I’m just happy to stay calm, stay positive at these moments,” said Alcaraz, who next faces American Sebastian Korda, a 6-0, 6-3 winner over Camilo Ugo.

Women’s number one Aryna Sabalenka held off determined American Ann Li 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to launch her Miami title defense.

The Belarusian was pleased to get through in straight sets against her 39th-ranked foe in a match moved to the third show court as organizers hustled to get the rain-hit tournament back on schedule.

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She needed more than an hour to pocket a first set in which she led 4-1 and wasted seven break points in the eighth game.

“I was there, I was fighting no matter what, even though my game probably wasn’t the best one that I have,” Sabalenka said.

Third-seeded Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff and sixth-seeded compatriot Amanda Anisimova also reached the third round.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who stunned Sabalenka in the final in Melbourne but fell to the world number one in the Indian Wells final, beat compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-3.

French Open champion Gauff rallied to beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match delayed several hours by rain.

Anisimova outlasted Australian veteran Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

It was Gauff’s first match since she retired during her third-round match at Indian Wells with “scary” pain in her left arm.

Gauff said the injury was improving.

“I might feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day,” said Gauff, who took some time to find her rhythm against the aggressive Cocciaretto.

“She takes the ball so early, you don’t have a lot of time to react,” Gauff said. “Today, once I got adjusted to the tempo of play I was able to control the rallies when they went the distance.”

In other men’s action, 56th-ranked American Ethan Quinn upset Norway’s 11th-seeded Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), saving seven set points in the second set on the way to victory.

Japanese wildcard Rei Sakamoto bagged his maiden ATP match win, converting his fifth match point in a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) first-round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic.

The 19-year-old ranked 164th booked a showdown with in-form Indian Wells finalist Medvedev.

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Carlos Alcaraz had to dig deep to extend his 2026 unbeaten run, rallying from a set and a break down to beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2 in the third round at Indian Wells on Monday.

The big-serving Frenchman’s aggressive game forced world number one Alcaraz to call on every shot in his arsenal to turn a tense contest his way.

Alcaraz will face 13th-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud for a place in the quarter-finals.

“Really happy that I was able to turn things around,” said Alcaraz.

The Spaniard nearly managed to steal the first-set tiebreaker, in which he had trailed 2-5, but a wayward forehand on set point gave Rinderknech his chance to pocket the set with a pair of winners.

Rinderknech then produced the first service break of the match to put the top seed in a hole in the opening game of the second set.

Alcaraz responded with an immediate break back, ramping up the pressure on Rinderknech’s serve on the way to a decisive break in the sixth game.

When Alcaraz broke again to open the third set, he was on his way, rolling to his sixth win over 26th-ranked Rinderknech in six career meetings.

“In the beginning, I was a little bit mad with myself because I just had a lot of chances in the first set, a few break points, a set point, and I couldn’t make it,” Alcaraz said.

“I got in trouble, to be honest. But I’m just really happy with the way that I just dealt with everything that was happening, accepted it, kept going, stayed strong mentally.”

Rinderknech had never won a match in Indian Wells in three prior appearances, and he leaves this edition without an on-court victory after enjoying a first-round bye and advancing to the third round by walkover.

Carlos Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam with his victory at the Australian Open.

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He followed that up with the Qatar Open title, and with two wins under his belt in Indian Wells, is now 14-0 on the season.

He next faces Ruud, who beat Valentin Vacherot 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

It was hard going for world number three Novak Djokovic in his 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over 72nd-ranked American Aleksandar Kovacevic, who peppered Djokovic with 16 aces.

Djokovic made an early break to take the first set, but Kovacevic found his groove and rolled through the second against the clearly frustrated Serb.

Djokovic regrouped in the third but didn’t find the break he needed until the final game.

“Today was really anybody’s game until the last couple of points,” Djokovic said. “That last game in the third, where he missed some first serves, gave me looks on the second, and I used it. That’s pretty much it.”

With five Indian Wells titles, Djokovic is tied for the record with Swiss great Roger Federer, but he’s in the fourth round for the first time since 2017.

Djokovic next faces defending champion Jack Draper, who beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-5.

Draper’s victory here last year launched his rise to fourth in the world.

But he then missed the better part of six months with an arm injury and arrived in California ranked 14th, his win over Cerundolo marking the first time since June that he’s posted back-to-back ATP victories.

A trio of top-10 players were sent packing.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie ousted sixth-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4, Alex Michelsen beat seventh-ranked fellow American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) and Australian qualifier Rinki Hijikata, ranked 117th in the world, shocked 10th-ranked Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

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Carlos Alcaraz was at his devastating best on Saturday as he claimed the Qatar Open title with a ruthless 6-2, 6-1 win over Arthur Fils.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion needed just over 50 minutes to see off his French opponent and claim the 26th title of his career.

Following Australian Open success earlier this month, completing his career Grand Slam at just 22 years of age, Alcaraz backed it up by storming to the title in Doha in his first tournament back since Melbourne and extending his match-winning streak to 12.

“I came this year hungry for more,” said Alcaraz. “I think after every tournament, we just have to set new goals. I’m just really happy and proud of everything I have done with my team on and off the court.”

“It’s been a really strong start to the year. It wasn’t easy… I had to be strong mentally with my team. I’m just playing great tennis, and I’m really happy about this week. This trophy means a lot to me.”

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For 40th-ranked Fils, returning gradually to action after a lengthy injury absence, the Spanish world number one was a step too far at the end of a fine week in which he recorded wins over top-10 seeds Jakub Mensik and Jiri Lehecka.

The run to his first tour-level final since Tokyo in 2024 will propel the former world number 14 up to 33 in the next ATP rankings.

“It’s been eight long months with my injury,” said Fils.

“So in a time like this, you just have to think about the last eight months when I was struggling, not playing tennis. I just want to thank my team… Today was not the day, but I think we did a hell of a job.”

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Carlos Alcaraz swept past Novak Djokovic to win his first Australian Open on Sunday and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, denying the Serbian great an unprecedented 25th major.

The Spaniard was imperious after a slow start in dismissing the 38-year-old, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena to claim a seventh Slam title and cement himself as undisputed world number one.

In doing so, he became the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, adding to his two titles each from Wimbledon and the French and US Opens.

At 22, he surpassed legendary countryman Rafael Nadal — in the crowd to witness the feat — who was two years older when he did the same.

A seventh Slam put him alongside John McEnroe and Mats Wilander and one behind Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl.

It was a first defeat for Djokovic in a Melbourne final, having won all 10 previously, leaving him still searching for a landmark 25th major to better Australia’s Margaret Court, who was also watching on centre court.

Djokovic, striving to become the oldest man to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy, last won one at the US Open in 2023. Since then, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the spoils.

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Both men battled through five long sets in their semi-finals, Alcaraz against Alexander Zverev and Djokovic against Sinner, and recovery was always going to be key after their physical struggles.

But they showed few signs of fatigue in another gladiatorial contest.

They both opened with comfortable holds before a double fault and netted forehand presented the first break point chance for Djokovic at 2-1.

Alcaraz saved it, but the aggressive fourth seed kept pressing and converted on his third, then consolidated for a 4-1 lead.

Djokovic was reading Alcaraz’s serve well and once he got in the rallies was authoritative, with a sensational forehand winner earning him two set points.

He claimed the set in a statement 33 minutes after a ninth unforced error from the top seed, having dominated the big moments.

It was vintage Djokovic, but Alcaraz came storming back, upping the tempo to break for 2-1 in the second set, pumping his fist when he saved a break point and held in the next game.

Djokovic put drops to his eyes and began rubbing them, unable to tame a now rampant Alcaraz who broke again for 5-2.

There were some sensational rallies that had the crowd on their feet in set three, which went with serve until Djokovic slapped a forehand wide under pressure to slip 2-3 behind.

He gamely saved four set points at 3-5 but with his energy levels dropping was unable to save a fifth as the Spaniard took control.

On the back foot, Djokovic then saved six break points in an 11-minute opening service game in set four to stay alive and kept fighting hard.

But Alcaraz ground him down and pounced as Djokovic served to stay in the match to seal a maiden Australian championship.

It ensured he remained world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Zverev.

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Novak Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final after stunning reigning two-time champion Jannik Sinner early Saturday in a five-set marathon to move to the brink of history.

The 38-year-old Serb rolled back the years to battle past Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a 1:32 am finish and plays top seed Alcaraz in Sunday’s Melbourne title decider.

If he beats a player 16 years younger, Djokovic would win an all-time record 25th Grand Slam crown.

Alcaraz defied fitness issues in an epic five-set triumph of his own, over German third seed Alexander Zverev, in the other semi-final.

With age and injuries catching up with Djokovic, this may represent the Serb’s best chance of seizing that elusive 25th major, although his gritty display against Sinner shows he still has plenty left in the tank.

His last Grand Slam title came at the US Open in 2023, since when Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis.

It has left Djokovic stranded alongside Australia’s Margaret Court — who was in the stadium watching — tied on 24 majors.

Sinner, 24, made a rapid start at Rod Laver Arena, breaking Djokovic’s serve to race into a 3-0 lead.

The four-time major winner was in superb touch, his serve firing and his groundstrokes unerring to seal the first set.

Back came Djokovic, breaking serve for a 3-1 lead in the second set and then saving three break points for 4-1.

Djokovic sent a whipping cross-court forehand beyond Sinner on his first set point to level the match.

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Djokovic seemed to wilt midway through the third set, holding his chest briefly and then half-collapsing into his seat.

Sinner had three break points at 5-4 and nailed the set on the second one when a Djokovic lob drifted long.

But the gutsy Djokovic was not done, breaking the Sinner serve early in the fourth set as the time ticked past midnight.

They went to a deciding fifth set, and the tension went up another notch, as Sinner repeatedly squandered chances to break serve.

Djokovic was ruthless, seizing the break for 4-3, then holding, to put an 11th Melbourne final within reach.

Somehow, Sinner saved two match points at 4-5 down, before Djokovic got the job done, third time lucky.

The former world number one is the undisputed king of Melbourne Park, having won 10 titles there.

But he admitted he was very lucky after reaching the semi-finals and acknowledged he was the underdog against Sinner.

Djokovic was two sets down in his quarter-final to Lorenzo Musetti when the Italian fifth seed retired hurt.

He also had a free ride through the fourth round when Jakub Mensik pulled out injured.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four majors last year, but failed to go further.

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An ailing Carlos Alcaraz said “believing” helped him pull through one of the most demanding matches of his career to down Alexander Zverev in five epic sets and reach his first Australian Open final on Friday.

The world number one outlasted the German third seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 over a titanic 5hrs 27 mins in hot conditions and will play either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s title match in Melbourne.

The Spaniard only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp.

He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials.

Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping.

Alcaraz continued, but his movement was hampered, and he lost his first set of the tournament, before the pickle juice kicked in and he fought on.

Despite not being at 100 percent the 22-year-old somehow found a way to claw back from a breakdown in the fifth set as the crowd roared him on.

Germany’s Zverev was left shattered in his latest failed bid to win a major.

“Believing all the time,” Alcaraz, into his eighth major final and fourth in a row, said of how he pulled through.

“I always say that you have to believe in yourself no matter what, no matter what struggles you’ve been through, you’ve gotta still believe in yourself all the time.

“I was struggling in the middle of the third set,” he added. “Basically, it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career.

“But I’ve been in these kinds of situations, these kinds of matches before.

“I had to put my heart into the match. I fought until the last ball.”

Alcaraz has won two French Opens, two US Opens, and twice at Wimbledon, but success on the blue Melbourne Park hard courts has eluded him in four previous campaigns.

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Should he snap the drought, he would be the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, surpassing compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal, who was 24 when he did so.

His efforts on Friday made him the youngest to reach the men’s singles final at all four Slams.

“I’m really happy to play my first final in Melbourne. It’s something I was pursuing a lot,” said Alcaraz, who collapsed to the court at the end. “It’s been a great two weeks so far. My level is improving a lot.”

The first set went with serve with few meaningful rallies, until Alcaraz unleashed a backhand winner at 3-3 to earn the first break point of the match.

Zverev held on, but the Spaniard worked another break point on his next serve, with the German double-faulting as the pressure mounted.

Alcaraz served out for the set, but the towering Zverev kept his cool and raised his level to earn his first break points of the match at 3-2 in the second set.

The top seed saved two but whipped a forehand long to slide 4-2 behind.

Alcaraz sensationally broke back as Zverev served at 5-3, and it went to a tiebreak, where the world number one prevailed with a scorching forehand.

Disaster struck in the third set when Alcaraz began limping badly.

He managed to hold for 5-4 but took a medical timeout, leaving Zverev fuming, before continuing to another tiebreak where the German made his move.

Despite the problems, Alcaraz continued winning points and holding serve in set four as his movement improved, and another tiebreak beckoned with the third seed again coming out on top.

Zverev broke early in the fifth to move 2-0 ahead, but he folded when serving for the match, and Alcaraz broke back for 5-5, and then again to seal the most dramatic of wins.

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