Injuries are an unpredictable facet of any athlete’s career, but Carlos Alcaraz may be reflecting that he could have avoided what may become one of the most significant setbacks of his career.
Alcaraz looks increasingly likely to miss next month’s French Open due to a wrist injury he sustained after deciding to play in back-to-back ATP Tour events in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
While Rafael Nadal often made light work of winning those two tournaments when he was at the peak of his clay court powers for a decade and more, Alcaraz has now been injured while attempting the Monte Carlo/Barcelona double for the last two years.
He won the first leg of the clay court double last year and then picked up an injury during his defeat against Holger Rune in the Barcelona final that forced him to pull out of the Madrid Open the following week.
That injury proved to be a minor inconvenience, as he went on to win the Rome Masters and also picked up the title at Roland Garros after wins against Jannik Sinner in the final of both tournaments.
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Alcaraz made it through to another Monte Carlo final this year, but he was beaten by Sinner and once again, he opted to make the trip to Barcelona to play in the ATP 500 tournament.
Spanish hero Alcaraz would command a huge appearance fee for playing in Spain and walking away from that money and the potential for ranking points and prize money may be tough for the 22-year-old.
However, he may now be thinking that would have been the more sensible step.
The wrist injury that has left Alcaraz on the sidelines could have happened in a practice session this week and may have flared up even if he skipped the Barcelona Open and waited to play in the Madrid Masters.
Yet with his big rival Sinner taking a more cautious approach and giving himself a week before making a decision on whether to play in Madrid, there is a clear difference in approach from the top two players in the men’s game.
Sinner admitted he was considering skipping the Madrid Open and focusing on playing in front of his home fans next month, but he has shown up in the Spanish capital and will be a strong favourite to win the title in Alcaraz’s absence.
He will also be a strong favourite to win the French Open if Alcaraz is absent, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski suggesting the world No 2 needs to reconsider his approach.
“He gets a lot of appearance money, and I think it’s about scheduling and getting rid of the exhibitions, because he’s got enough money,” said Rusedski on his podcast.
“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 [of rest].
“Play Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, week off, then get ready for the French [Open]. And knowing Carlos and his attitude, when he signs up, he’s committed to play.”
Alcaraz’s former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, shared Rusedski’s view that Alcaraz needed to take a step back and play less events and exhibitions in a bid to avoid the kind of injury he is now nursing.
His absence from the French Open would be a high price to pay, but it may also be a moment for Alcaraz to reflect on whether his current schedule is sustainable.
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