Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open and Madrid Open due to injury.
Hurting his wrist in the first round of the Barcelona Open, Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament a day later.
Then, Alcaraz announced that he will be skipping the Madrid Open as well.
Will you still be watching the Madrid Open?
Two BIG withdrawals…
As the seven-time Grand Slam champion fails to complete either of his two home tournaments for the second year running, perhaps he should take note of what Greg Rusedski has to say…
Greg Rusedski suggests Carlos Alcaraz should skip Monte Carlo and play fewer exhibitions
During the latest episode of ‘Off Court Cuts‘, Rusedski delivered his verdict on Alcaraz’s injury.
“I think you don’t take a guarantee and then pull out in the second round if you don’t have an injury,” he said.
“Because, in Barcelona, he [Carlos Alcaraz] is the biggest draw, at every tournament he plays, he is the biggest draw.
“He gets a lot of appearance money, I think it’s about scheduling and getting rid of the exhibitions, because he’s got enough money.
Carlos Alcaraz’s exhibitions since 2025
- January 2025 (Australian Open, Opening Week) [LOSS] vs Alex de Minaur
- January 2025 (Australian Open, Opening Week) [WIN] vs Alexei Popyrin
- March 2025 (Puerto Rico) [WIN] vs Frances Tiafoe
- October 2025 (Six Kings Slam) [WIN] vs Taylor Fritz
- October 2025 (Six Kings Slam) [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner
- December 2025 (A Racquet at the Rock) [LOSS] vs Frances Tiafoe
- December 2025 (Miami Invitational) [WIN] vs Frances Tiafoe
- January 2026 (Hyundai Super Card) [WIN] vs Jannik Sinner
- January 2026 (Australian Open, Opening Week) [WIN] vs Alex de Minaur
“I think he signed something like a $200 million contract with Nike.
“So it’s not about getting that appearance money, but scheduling properly.
“Being Spanish, you want to play Barcelona, you want to play Madrid, so you maybe miss the Monte Carlo Masters series after the hard courts to have a little bit of a longer spell [resting].
“Play Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, week off, then get ready for the French [Open].”
Rusedski believes Alcaraz must play the Italian Open before Roland Garros.
“We’re going to know more about how serious this wrist [injury] is, if he misses Madrid and then doesn’t play Rome, then we will know we have a problem here, because he won’t have the prep he needs going into Paris to defend his title,” he said.
Greg Rusedski praises ‘perfect’ Jannik Sinner and explains where Carlos Alcaraz falls short
Rusedski has, however, been mightily impressed by Jannik Sinner’s preparation.
“[Jannik] Sinner, on the other hand, boy, is his preparation perfect,” said Rusedski.
“There are no mistakes in playing; he doesn’t overplay in exhibitions.
“Yes, he plays the big one in Saudi [Arabia], the Six Kings Slam, that everybody plays because it’s $12 million, you’re not going to say no to that.
“He played the exhibition in [South] Korea, leading up to the Australian Open, but I just think he is getting that balance a little bit better than Carlos.
“If you’re not getting the rest and the recovery you need, those injuries occur.
“So a little bit of a question mark, I’m hoping it’s nothing serious, but we won’t know until we find out how many weeks he pulls out and where he starts up next.”
Rusedski argued for the importance of an experienced coach, reflecting upon Alcaraz’s decision to part ways with Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Should Carlos Alcaraz hire another coach after his recent results?
If so, who should he hire? 🤔
“Better scheduling, take a leaf out of [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, skinny, strong guys, schedule brilliantly, and have teams that are so aligned, that is the key,” he said.
“Why does Sinner, for example, have Darren Cahill?
“Every player that Cahill has been with is a number one: [Simona] Halep, [Andre] Agassi, [Lleyton] Hewitt, [Jannik] Sinner.
Darren Cahill’s coaching highlights
| Player | Grand Slams | Weeks at number one | Masters 1000/WTA 1000 titles |
| Jannik Sinner (2022-) | 4 | 67 | 8 |
| Simona Halep (2015-2019, 2020-2021) | 1 | 53 | 5 |
| Andre Agassi (2002-2006) | 1 | 14 | 5 |
| Lleyton Hewitt (1998-2001) | 1 | 2 | 0 |
“That isn’t a fluke.
“Look, everyone says that Sammy Lopez is doing a great job, which he is, but that extra little voice in your ear from Juan Carlos Ferrero might have made the difference here, but we will see.”
Only time will tell what the future holds for Alcaraz, but it will certainly be interesting to see if he takes Rusedski’s advice on board and cuts down on the exhibition appearances.
Until we hear otherwise, Alcaraz is expected to return in Rome, for the Italian Open.
The 2026 Italian Open begins on Tuesday, May 5.
