Carlos Alcaraz has been ruled out of this year’s Roland Garros, and people are looking for someone to blame.
After all, it’s hard to rationalise such a monumental blow, which has sent shockwaves throughout the tennis community.
The sport is set to be without its chief entertainer, and the event will be significantly worse off as a result.
And, in an effort to try to explain the series of events that led to Alcaraz’s wrist injury, a former Grand Slam champion has argued that tennis itself needs to look in the mirror.
Tennis told it needs to make a huge change soon
Speaking on Italian channel Rai 2, Andrea Panetta has implored the sport he played for many years to make the necessary changes to prevent their star players from continuously being struck down.
“Everyone gets hurt here,” he began, emphasising the lose-lose nature of the current calendar.
How worried are you about Carlos Alcaraz’s injury?
Carlos Alcaraz will miss Rome and Roland Garros…
“I want to appeal to the institutions that regulate tennis: injuries are multiplying at a very worrying rate, and this is very bad news for this sport.
“The most striking case is obviously Alcaraz’s injury, which will keep him out until Queen’s Club, that is, after Roland Garros.
“The problem is that these players will all get hurt sooner or later, without exception. Today’s game is very violent and subjects these guys to inhuman physical strain.
“Now, I’m not saying we need to go back to my time, because we must always move forward, but if they don’t stop playing so much, sooner or later, they will all get hurt because this hysterical pace cannot be maintained for long.
“Now, without Alcaraz, we lose a lot in Rome and at Roland Garros in terms of spectacle.”
Jannik Sinner has spoken about Alcaraz withdrawing from the French Open, with many of his peers joining to express their sympathy for the 22-year-old.
Carlos Alcaraz was punished by the busy schedule
Whilst many will point to Carlos Alcaraz’s desperation to play in Barcelona as the reason behind his injury, the simple fact of the matter is that he should not have even had that decision to make.
For the welfare of the players, set rules must be in place that safeguard them against feeling the need to rush between countries to try and compete.
The fact that the Spaniard, who is playing at the very highest level, has suffered so harshly because of it should stand as a stark warning for the rest of the tour.
Should Carlos Alcaraz have skipped the Barcelona Open? Did he make a mistake by playing it?
After all, not everyone is in as privileged a position as Alcaraz is, and yet he still was a victim of this scheduling.
Even tempting him with the prospect of there being another event, in his home country, just days after the Monte Carlo final, makes it the fault of tennis. Panetta is well within his rights to criticise.
