Tag: French Open

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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Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday.

Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) after five hours and 29 minutes to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title.

The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner’s 20-match winning run at the majors.

“This was the most exciting match that I’ve played so far without a doubt,” said Alcaraz. “I think the match had everything.”

Alcaraz pulled off his first-ever comeback from two sets down in the longest Roland Garros final in history, recovering from 5-3 down in the fourth set when Sinner had three match points.

“Today was all about believing in myself. Never doubted myself today, and I tried to go for it,” he said. “Real champions are made in those situations.”

Carlos Alcaraz is the first man to win a Grand Slam title after saving a match point since Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

The only other man to do it in the Open era was Gaston Gaudio at Roland Garros in 2004.

Sinner fell agonisingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year’s US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs.

“It’s easier to play than to talk now,” said a devastated Sinner. “I won’t sleep very well tonight, but it’s OK.”

“We try to delete it somehow and take the positive and keep going. There are no other ways. It hurts, but you cannot keep crying.”

Jannik Sinner suffered his fifth straight loss to Carlos Alcaraz in what was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final — and the first championship match at a major between two men born in the 2000s.

Alcaraz leads 8-4 overall, having also beaten Sinner in the final in Rome, where the Italian returned to competition in May after a three-month doping ban.

Alcaraz put the pressure on Sinner by carving out three break points to start Saturday’s final, but the Italian resisted and soon had a chance of his own.

He couldn’t take advantage and found himself having to fend off two more break points at 1-1, producing clutch serves to grind out another tough hold.

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Alcaraz’s persistence paid off in the fifth game when he broke to nudge 3-2 ahead, only for the Spaniard to immediately hand the lead back.

The unshakeable Sinner threatened to break again at 4-3, with a brief lapse from Alcaraz eventually enabling Sinner to snatch the first set.

Sinner hit the accelerator to start the second set, surging 3-0 in front. After facing seven break points in the opener, he tightened up considerably on serve.

But Alcaraz brought up his first break point of the second set with Sinner serving for a two-set lead, duly pouncing on the opportunity.

With the swagger back in his step at a crucial juncture, Alcaraz sought to bring the crowd into the contest, but Sinner remained unflustered in the tie-break.

The first five points went with serve before Sinner whipped a forehand down the line, and Alcaraz then steered a drop-shot wide.

A tame return into the net gave Sinner four set points. Alcaraz saved two before Sinner unleashed a blistering cross-court forehand to move to within a set of the trophy.

It all looked to be going his way when he broke Alcaraz to begin the third set, but the Spaniard refused to surrender his title quietly and rattled off four games on the bounce to lead 4-1.

Carlos Alcaraz lost serve at 5-3 but promptly broke to love to force a fourth set, lapping up the roars of the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd. That ended Sinner’s run of 31 consecutive sets won at Grand Slams.

Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game amid a series of holds as Sinner doubled down. The Italian appeared to be closing in on victory when he broke at 3-3 to approach the finish line.

But Alcaraz had other ideas as he staved off three championship points at 3-5 and then broke Sinner when he tried to seal the title on his serve.

Successive aces spurred a reinvigorated Alcaraz on in the tie-break and into a decisive fifth set.

A despairing Sinner lost his serve right away, and his gloom deepened as Alcaraz saved two break points to pull 3-1 ahead, but incredibly, there was another twist.

Alcaraz this time faltered with the title within his grasp as Sinner broke while trailing 5-3 to spark a three-game burst that left the Spaniard needing to hold serve to prolong the final.

He kept his nerve to set up a 10-point tie-break, which Alcaraz ran away with as the outrageous shotmaking continued until the very end when he took his first championship point with a sizzling forehand.

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Novak Djokovic said beating Alexander Zverev on Wednesday was a “testament” to his ability to compete at the highest level as the 38-year-old reached the French Open semi-finals to inch closer to a record 25th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic fought past third seed Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a gruelling night session duel, which captivated Court Philippe Chatrier over three-and-a-quarter hours.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner moves on to face world number one Jannik Sinner in the last four, after the Italian earlier raced past the unseeded Alexander Bublik in straight sets.

“Jannik is in tremendous form, and he has been the best player for the last couple of years,” said Djokovic.

“It’s going to be, of course, semi-finals of a Grand Slam against the No. 1 in the world. There is no bigger occasion for me, so I’ll try to do my best to step it up and perform as well as I did tonight.

“I just hope that I will be able to physically keep up, you know, with Sinner in a few days’ time. It’s a big challenge for me.”

On centre court, last year’s runner-up Zverev roared out of the blocks with an immediate break of serve as he clinched the opener against Djokovic.

It was the first time former world number one Djokovic has dropped a set at the French Open this year.

Novak Djokovic engineered himself a 3-1 lead in the second set after Zverev pushed a backhand long when serving at 30-40.

The three-time Roland Garros champion then held firm through the rest of the frame to level the match as he started to punish the 1.98 m Zverev with drop shots.

The Serb sniffed out a break opportunity in game five of the third set and snaffled it, before again breaking the German as he took control of the encounter.

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Now on a high, Novak Djokovic started the fourth by again pouncing on his opponent’s usually reliable serve.

He brought Chatrier to its feet when he whipped a cross-court forehand past Zverev to save a break point in the sixth game at the end of an exchange that the 28-year-old looked certain to win on at least three occasions.

Alexander Zverev appeared a defeated man when he eventually passed up that chance at a vital break-back with a netted forehand.

Djokovic marched on and sealed his 101st win at the French Open, raising his arms aloft in triumph after finally converting match point at the fifth time of asking.

“It was an amazing match,” summarised Djokovic.

“Obviously beating one of the best players in the world on the biggest stages is something that I definitely work for, and I still, you know, push myself on a daily basis at this age because of these kinds of matches and these kinds of experiences.

“It’s a proven kind of testament to myself that I can and to others that I can still play on the highest level.”

A poor run of form earlier in the season and his advancing years had some questioning whether Djokovic could still match his younger rivals.

But he had a response for his doubters: “I think the win against (Carlos) Alcaraz in quarters of the Australian Open (2025), to win quarters against Zverev tonight proves to myself and others that I can still play on the highest level, and I just thrive on these occasions.”

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Novak Djokovic eased into a record-breaking 19th Roland Garros quarter-final with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Cameron Norrie on Monday.

The three-time French Open champion will renew his rivalry with third seed Alexander Zverev in the last eight on Wednesday after seeing off Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier.

His tally of 19 quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros is the record for a single Grand Slam tournament.

“I feel good. I know I can play better. But 12 sets played, 12 sets won, it’s been solid so far,” said the 38-year-old after his 100th French Open win.

“It’s great, but victory number 101 would be better. I’m very honoured… But I need to continue now.”

Djokovic holds an 8-5 winning record in his head-to-head with German Zverev, but retired injured from their last meeting in the Australian Open semi-finals in January.

“He’s 10 years younger. He calls himself a veteran of the game. What should I call myself, then?,” Djokovic said of his next opponent.

Britain’s Norrie, a former top-10 player now ranked 81st, has lost all six of his career matches against Novak Djokovic.

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The sixth-seeded Djokovic showed no ill-effects from a “complicated” trip back to his hotel on Sunday night after attending Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League title celebrations at the Parc des Princes.

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele presented the trophy to the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier ahead of Djokovic’s match.

“They (security) were suggesting us at one point not to go back at all, to maybe find a place to sleep somewhere around here for a night, because at that point it was already past midnight and some gas bombs and cars under fire and stuff happening on the street that was really dangerous,” Djokovic said.

“In the end we talked. We waited for a bit, and then we decided to go. Then it was fine. In the end we reached the hotel all good, but it was quite noisy with a lot of things happening outside of the hotel…

“At some point it was getting out of hand, but it’s understandable that people are so excited.”

The Serb, hoping to set a new outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles this week, dominated against Norrie from the start.

He broke serve three times in a one-sided opening set, before battling through a closer second, crucially saving a break point before holding for a 3-2 lead.

Norrie, playing in the second week in Paris for the first time, mustered little resistance in the third set as Djokovic wrapped up victory on his first match point.

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Alexander Zverev secured a place in his seventh French Open quarter-final on Monday as his last-16 opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, retired injured in the second set.

The German third seed, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s final, was leading 6-4, 3-0 when Dutchman Griekspoor called it quits on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Zverev will face Novak Djokovic in the last eight as he continues his latest bid for a maiden Grand Slam title.

Zverev has made at least the last four at the past four French Opens and is into his seventh quarter-final at Roland Garros in total.

The 28-year-old has won five of his 13 career matches with Djokovic, including in Melbourne in January when the Serb retired injured from their semi-final following the first set.

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“We have great history in our rivalry, I would say, but I’m looking forward to the match, and it’s always a privilege to be on court with him,” said Alexander Zverev.

“But he has to win first today, also, right? I don’t want to disrespect anybody, and anybody who is in the fourth round deserves to be there, so I have to respect Cam and we’ll see how the match goes.

“Of course, playing Novak is always an honour.”

Dutchman Griekspoor’s serve was severely affected by his injury, although he managed to take a 3-0 lead in the first set before Zverev found his rhythm.

“Unfortunately this morning in the warm-up… I pulled my abdominal (muscle) which made me not serve fully and not able to compete the way I would like,” said Griekspoor, who was playing in the fourth round of a major for the first time.

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Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz won a war of attrition with American 13th seed Ben Shelton to reach the French Open quarter-finals on Sunday.

The Spaniard emerged victorious 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 after over three hours of blistering serves, power-hitting and drop-shots on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I think we both have huge respect for each other, we entertained the people well,” Alcaraz said on court.

“He’s a really powerful player — he can make any shot… I appreciate the moment that I’ve shared with him today.”

The four-time Grand Slam winner edged a tight first set, which produced only one unconverted break point, at the end of a lengthy tie-break that saw both players have chances to clinch the opener.

When Alcaraz finally forced a break against the big-serving Shelton in the second set, it was enough for him to move into a two-set lead.

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But once again, Carlos Alcaraz failed to see out a straight-sets victory as Shelton produced two breaks of serve to edge the most open of the four frames.

The 22-year-old nonetheless bounced back to gain the advantage in the fourth set, before serving out as dusk descended over centre court.

Another American awaits Alcaraz in the last eight after 12th seed Tommy Paul earlier defeated Alexei Popyrin in straight sets.

“I remember that every match that I’ve played against him, he was really tough. He was really difficult,” said Alcaraz of Paul.

“In Grand Slams, in Masters 1000, and all the tournaments I’ve played against him it wasn’t easy at all. I lost a lot, a few matches against him as well. He is in the quarter-finals of another Grand Slam, so his level is really high right now.”

Alcaraz leads his series with Paul 4-2, and most recently defeated the 28-year-old in straight sets on the red dirt of Roland Garros at the quarter-final stage of the 2024 Olympic Games.

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Novak Djokovic extended his perfect record against French players at Roland Garros with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) win over Corentin Moutet to reach the third round on Thursday.

It was largely plain sailing for the 38-year-old Djokovic, although he did have to save a set point to force a tie-break in the third set.

That came after the 24-time Grand Slam champion took a medical timeout earlier in the set to receive treatment for a blister on his left foot.

“Things got a little bit complicated with the blister. That was bothering me for a bit,” said Novak Djokovic. “But I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for me to recover.”

Just when Corentin Moutet threatened to prolong the match, Djokovic clicked back into gear — a day after a nighttime cycle around the Arc de Triomphe — to improve to 12-0 against Frenchmen at Roland Garros.

“Obviously, the atmosphere was electric, especially in that third set. He was close to winning it, so the crowd got involved. And it was, yeah, not much fun for me,” said Djokovic.

He is through to the last 32 in Paris for the 20th time, more than even 14-time champion Rafael Nadal managed.

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But Djokovic said he would not repeat his jaunt around the notoriously busy Place Charles de Gaulle, where 12 avenues converge.

“At one point, we had cars all over the place. It was quite an adrenaline experience, but I don’t think I will repeat that,” he said.

“Probably in all other streets, it’s much more safe. But, yeah, we were crazy enough to get into that roundabout. It was fun, but at one point, but also a bit dangerous.”

Novak Djokovic will play 23-year-old Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic for a spot in the last 16. Misolic withstood a comeback from Canadian 27th seed Denis Shapovalov to prevail 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 4-6, 6-3.

The three-time French Open champion issued a playful appeal to tournament organisers not to schedule his next match on Saturday night, to avoid a clash with the Champions League final.

Paris Saint-Germain will be bidding for its first European crown against Inter Milan. Kick-off in Munich is roughly 30 minutes after the evening session begins at Roland Garros.

“It’s going to be PSG that I will support. I will definitely watch it if I’m not playing a night session,” said Novak Djokovic. “Yeah, that will be nice. FYI, Roland Garros schedule…”

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Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz said he was “on a good path” following a “roller-coaster” start to the season after kicking off his French Open campaign with a commanding victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri on Monday.

The Spaniard struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over world number 310 Zeppieri and will face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two.

Carlos Alcaraz is the title favourite at Roland Garros after winning both the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies this year on clay.

He has suffered some surprise defeats in 2024 as well, though, including to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final, Jack Draper in the Indian Wells semi-finals and against David Goffin in his opening match in Miami.

“So far it’s been a roller-coaster, let’s say,” Alcaraz said.

“But right now I think I found a really good path again, and I’m trying to have a really good level during the whole tournament or even during the whole match.

“So I think I’m just starting to get it, feeling more comfortable approaching the matches. Once I start the matches, I think I’m just keeping the high level in the whole match and during the whole tournament.”

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The four-time Grand Slam champion saved all three of the break points he faced against Zeppieri on Court Suzanne Lenglen as he cruised through in second gear.

Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic.

The 22-year-old was in attendance on Sunday as Court Philippe Chatrier waved an emotional goodbye to the retired Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz has long been expected to take on the mantle of his illustrious compatriot, but says he finds it hard to fathom how Nadal won a record 14 French Open titles.

“It’s something you can’t think about… Just one man in the planet was able to do it, and I can’t imagine,” said the second seed.

“It was emotional yesterday, seeing him saying goodbye in the way he did yesterday was unbelievable.”

Alcaraz beat world number 56 Marozsan at Indian Wells last year but lost their only previous meeting on clay at the 2023 Italian Open.

“I study my opponents a little bit. I know that Fabian likes to hit drop shots. So probably I’ll put extra focus on that. I’m going to be ready for that… It’s gonna be a dropshot battle, I guess.”

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Novak Djokovic said Tuesday he is in no hurry to find a coach to replace Andy Murray as he searches for his first win on clay this season ahead of the French Open.

Last week, Djokovic parted company with Murray after a tough start to the season for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“At the moment, I’m not in need of a coach,” said Djokovic, who opens his title bid at the Roland Garros warm-up event in Genova against 134th-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday.

“I don’t need to rush in any context. I feel comfortable with the people around me … in the next few tournaments, and we’ll see what happens.”

Djokovic told journalists that Dusan Vemic, previously part of his coaching team, had arrived in Geneva from the US and would be working alongside Boris Bosnjakovic, his assistant coach and analyst.

The partnership with Murray started well, with Djokovic defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, only to be forced to retire during his semi-final against Alexander Zverev as a result of injury.

“We felt like we couldn’t get more out of that partnership on the court, and that’s all there is to it,” explained Novak Djokovic, who turns 38 on Thursday.

“My respect towards Andy remains the same, even more actually, I got to know him as a person.

“I think he has a brilliant tennis IQ, he has a very rare mind of a champion that obviously has achieved what he has achieved, and he sees the game incredibly well.”

The Serb’s wait for a 100th ATP title goes on after his withdrawal from the Italian Open.

Djokovic has not won a single match on clay this season, losing his openers at Monte Carlo and Madrid.

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His hopes of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam triumph, which would take him clear of Australian Margaret Court’s tally of 24 singles major titles, appear to be fading.

“It’s a different chapter of my life that I’m trying to navigate myself through,” said the three-time French Open champion.

“And yes, I’m not particularly used to having this kind of circumstances where I would lose a consecutive match, tournaments, first rounds and so forth. I don’t think it ever happened for me in the last 20 years.

“But I knew that eventually that moment will come.”

After missing the event in Rome, Novak Djokovic explained that he is competing in Geneva to prepare for the upcoming French Open.

“That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m playing the Geneva tournament, because I’m trying to do well, I’m trying to win more trophies, I’m trying to build my form for Roland Garros, and perform at the desired, necessary level in order to go far in the tournament and challenge the best players in the world.

“So yes, the motivation is still there.”

Nonetheless, Djokovic added he was comfortable with this new phase of his career.

“I know what it takes to be a Grand Slam champion. It’s not as smooth and easy for me as it was 10 years ago. Obviously, things change and my life has changed a lot, but for (the) better, to be honest,” he said.

“It’s just a new chapter that I’m embracing. I’m still connected to tennis and still want to express myself on the court. I feel that I still have the game, that I can be one of the contenders for the top Grand Slam titles.”

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