Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the 2026 French Open due to a wrist injury.
The 2024 and 2025 French Open champion won’t return to defend his title in 2026.
With Alcaraz out of the picture, Jannik Sinner is now the clear Roland Garros favourite, having been a point away from the title a year ago.
Can anyone now stop Jannik Sinner from winning Roland Garros after Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal?
If yes, who?
Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, has now suggested what every other ATP player will be ‘praying’ for ahead of the French Open draw.
Rick Macci says every top ATP player will be ‘praying’ they are on the opposite half of the draw from Jannik Sinner
Macci shared his reaction to Alcaraz’s withdrawal on X.
“Every top ATP player is hoping and praying that they end up on the other side of the draw from [Jannik] Sinner at the French Open,” he said.
“It is a life-changing opportunity to maybe win a Slam with Carlos [Alcaraz] not playing with the injury.
“As I said many times, to beat both the flamethrower and the magician three out of five [is] almost impossible.”
Macci continued to comment on X, suggesting the French Open draw is ‘wide open’.
“This year at the French Open has been rebranded the French Wide Open for any player not named Sinner,” he said.
“Whoever is far away from the Italian flamethrower in the draw might have a chance to win it all.
“Injuries are a part of sport, and somebody has a real shot with Carlos not on court.”
Since the beginning of the 2024 season, only two men have won Grand Slam singles titles: Alcaraz and Sinner.
Grand Slam winners since 2024
- 2024 Australian Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2024 French Open – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 Wimbledon – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2024 US Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 Australian Open – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 French Open – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2025 Wimbledon – Jannik Sinner
- 2025 US Open – Carlos Alcaraz
- 2026 Australian Open – Carlos Alcaraz
Many have argued that beating Sinner and Alcaraz in consecutive best-of-five-set matches is too tough an ask.
But with one of the world’s top two missing, someone else is guaranteed to at least reach the final.
Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev immediately spring to mind as potential contenders.
The Serb is a three-time Roland Garros champion, while the German was a set away from winning the French Open two years ago.
Should either player be placed on the opposite half of the draw to Sinner, they will have a great chance of reaching this year’s Roland Garros final.
Clay-court specialists Lorenzo Musetti and Casper Ruud could also be well-placed to take advantage, as could the young prospects, Arthur Fils, Joao Fonseca, and Rafael Jodar.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious in Paris, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
Naomi Broady delivers her reaction to Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open withdrawal
Commentating for Sky Sports when the news broke, former British tennis star Naomi Broady shared her thoughts.
“You have to feel for him. It’s one of his first really big, impactful injuries,” she said.
“Firstly, we were saying how we felt sorry for him having to miss Madrid, the biggest tournament in his home country. But then to follow that up with missing Rome and Roland Garros as well, that’s really going to hurt.
“It shows how serious the injury is that he’s having to miss a Grand Slam.
“It’s a huge missed opportunity for him and gives Sinner the chance to pull away [as world number one].”
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Age | Country | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 24 | Italy | 13,400 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | Spain | 12,960 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | 29 | Germany | 5,165 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | 38 | Serbia | 4,700 |
| 5 | Ben Shelton | 23 | USA | 4,030 |
Sinner leads Alcaraz by fewer than 500 points, but that gap will grow over the coming months.
Having won both the Italian Open and French Open last year, Alcaraz will drop 3,000 points due to his wrist injury.
Therefore, when Alcaraz returns to action, potentially on grass, he will do so with a mountain to climb in the race for the world-number-one ranking.
