Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open with a wrist injury, but that didn’t stop him from making an appearance.
On men’s quarter-final day, the Spaniard was sitting in the stands.
But he wasn’t watching Casper Ruud play Alexander Blockx, or Alexander Zverev play Flavio Cobolli.
How worried are you about Carlos Alcaraz’s injury?
Carlos Alcaraz will miss Rome and Roland Garros…
Instead, Alcaraz was supporting his younger brother, Jaime Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz watches his younger brother win at the Madrid Open
Alcaraz’s younger brother, 14, was playing on one of the outside courts in the Madrid Open U-16 tournament.
The 14-year-old played some excellent tennis, including a dropshot that even his older brother would have been proud of.
Alcaraz won his opening match, 6-3, 6-3, against his countryman, Pol Mas Tabuena.
His older brother took to Instagram after the match.
“Proud,” he wrote.
Alcaraz looked like he enjoyed watching his younger brother play, but would surely rather be out there himself…
When will Carlos Alcaraz return from injury?
The world number two will miss the remainder of the clay-court season due to injury.
In doing so, he will drop 3,000 points from his current tally, giving his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, some breathing room in the race for world number one.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Points defending in Rome/Paris |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 13,750 | 1,950 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,960 | 3,000 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,555 | 600 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,700 | 800 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,050 | 10 |
Alcaraz is targeting a return on grass for the Queen’s Club Championships and Wimbledon.
In 2025, Alcaraz won Queen’s before losing to Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
Should he miss both events in 2026, he would drop another 1,800 points.
If the likes of Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have strong clay-court and grass-court seasons, he could be at risk of being caught by the Serb and the German.
It remains to be seen when and where Alcaraz will return, but the fact that he withdrew from Rome and Roland Garros so early is certainly cause for concern.
Carlos Alcaraz’s 2026 results so far
- Australian Open – Winner
- Qatar Open – Winner
- Indian Wells – Semi-final
- Miami Open – Third round
- Monte Carlo Masters – Final
- Barcelona Open – Second round*
Alcaraz began the year in fine form, completing the Career Grand Slam in Melbourne before winning the Qatar Open.
His form then dipped, losing in the Indian Wells semi-finals and the Miami Open third round.
Then Alcaraz lost to Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final, before withdrawing from the Barcelona Open due to injury.
Five months into the 2026 season, Alcaraz sits second in the ‘Live ATP Race’, having accumulated more points than all but one player on tour.
Live ATP Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | 2026 Titles |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 4,300 | 3 (Indian Wells, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters) |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 3,650 | 2 (Australian Open, Qatar Open) |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 2,690 | – |
| 4 | Arthur Fils | France | 1,880 | 1 (Barcelona Open) |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 1,810 | 2 (Brisbane International, Dubai Tennis Championships) |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 1,570 | 2 (Dallas Open, Munich Open) |
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 1,400 | – |
| 8 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 1,305 | 1 (Rotterdam Open) |
| 9 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 1,270 | 1 (Mexican Open) |
| 10 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 1,215 | 1 (Open Occitanie) |
3,650 points wouldn’t have been enough to qualify for the ATP Finals in 2025 or 2024, but would have seen Alcaraz travel to Turin in 2023.
He’ll surely add to his tally between now and November, though, assuming he fully recovers from his wrist injury.
