Carlos Alcaraz’s absence from tennis has been felt heavily, not least by fans of the sport.
After all, the 23-year-old guarantees unlimited entertainment when he steps onto the court, particularly during this swing of the tour.
He thrives on clay, and yet saw the opportunity to play on the surface cruelly taken from him after just one full tournament.
What’s even worse is that this wrist injury has already ruled Alcaraz out of Wimbledon as well.
Well, after so many weeks of bad news involving the world number two, at last David Ferrer has emerged with a shred of positivity.
David Ferrer reveals text messages with Carlos Alcaraz about his recovery
Chatting with El Partidazo de COPE, the Spaniard provided a crucial update after weeks of radio silence on the Carlos Alcaraz recovery front.
And, fortunately, it was good news.
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Ferrer shared: “Just this morning I sent him a message because I get up quite early and I was surprised because he answered me early, and I told him, wow, how strange that you answer me so early, and it was because he was travelling to Barcelona to see Dr Cortorro.
“He told me that he was eager to compete, that it was feeling long, and I think that’s very good. That is very good by Carlos, that he has the illusion of returning to competition.
“The process is going well. I don’t know exactly when he’s coming back, but it is on the right track.
“What I liked was the fact that he told me that he was looking forward to competing again. It has excited me for him to come back with that illusion.”
This comes not long after Alcaraz said how he felt about watching Roland Garros from home, having won the event the last two years.
Carlos Alcaraz would have won this year’s Roland Garros with ease if he were fit
Looking at the current state of the Roland Garros draw, it’s hard not to think that Alcaraz would have strolled to this title.
After all, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both suffering early exits, the new outstanding favourite to win the event is Alexander Zverev, a man who has lost four of his last five matches to Alcaraz, including the final in Paris in 2024.
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There’s no doubt that he would have coped with the blistering heat throughout the first week, and given how decimated the draw now is, he would surely have cleaned up.
It must be heartbreaking for Alcaraz to watch on from the sidelines, made even tougher given how wide open the event is this year.
