Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Roland Garros could have major consequences for Novak Djokovic’s hopes of winning his 25th Grand Slam.
Alcaraz will miss the Italian Open and Roland Garros due to a wrist injury he suffered at the Barcelona Open.
Djokovic, who is yet to play a clay court event in 2026, will now be the second favourite to lift the Roland Garros title.
What happened after Alcaraz last missed a Grand Slam could be a very good omen for Djokovic’s hopes at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning Roland Garros boosted
Alcaraz has only been forced to miss one other Grand Slam due to injury since his emergence on the ATP Tour.
That came at the 2023 Australian Open, when the Spaniard was forced out with a leg injury when he could have become the world number one.
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Djokovic, who entered the Grand Slam as the fourth seed, took full advantage of Alcaraz’s withdrawal by winning the 22nd major of his career.
The Serbian defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul, Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov, Enzo Couacaud, and Roberto Carballés Baena to lift the title.
Djokovic did so by dropping just one set, which came in a tie-break against Couacaud in the second round.
The Serbian will be hoping history repeats itself and he can lift another Grand Slam title in the absence of Alcaraz.
The top seeds during Novak Djokovic’s 2023 Australian Open victory
Djokovic’s last Australian Open title came between two generations, between the big four’s dominance and the Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz era.
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Sinner did play the tournament as the fourteenth seed, but he was knocked out in the fourth round by Tsitsipas.
- 1. Rafael Nadal
- 2. Casper Ruud
- 3. Stefanos Tsitsipas
- 4. Novak Djokovic
- Andrey Rublev
Nadal entered the tournament as the top seed, but he was knocked out in the second round by Mackenzie McDonald.
Djokovic won as the fourth seed and he will have to lift the trophy as one place higher this year at Roland Garros, as he will very likely be the third seed.
