The serious consequences that Alcaraz could suffer from his wrist injury on the clay court swing

Pedro de Pablos | 17 Apr 2026 | 16.20

The serious consequences that Alcaraz could suffer due to his wrist injury on the clay court tour.

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The wrist injury that forced Carlos Alcaraz to withdraw from the 2026 Barcelona Open will also prevent him from competing in the Mutua Madrid Open starting next week, as confirmed by the Spanish tennis player on his social media. However, the worst may be yet to come, as if these physical issues persist, the consequences on the ATP ranking could be much greater for him.

Alcaraz arrived at the Barcelona Open with the chance to take back the number one spot from Jannik Sinner if he won the tournament, and in a matter of days, the situation has taken a 180-degree turn. The young player from Murcia not only lost the points he was defending as last year's finalist but also handed the Italian player the opportunity to further distance himself in the upcoming Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital, which today also saw the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic due to another injury.

The situation is already complex, and the reality is that it could get even worse. Wrist injuries are difficult to recover from as it is a sensitive area, so Alcaraz and his team will have to be 100% certain of the recovery to return and avoid a relapse. However, they are racing against time, as after Madrid is when the Spanish player defends the most points in the Masters 1000 events of Rome and Roland Garros and from this Monday, he will be 390 points behind Sinner in the ranking.

Alcaraz could lose up to 3,000 more ATP points

Last year, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the Rome final to spoil his return to the circuit after three months, so if he cannot play, he would lose 1,000 points in one go in the ranking. However, the worst scenario would be not making it to Roland Garros, where he also beat Sinner in an epic final and defends another 2,000 points. A total of 3,000 points that Alcaraz could lose in just over a month, with the "luck" of missing the Mutua Madrid Open in 2025 due to another injury suffered in Barcelona.

Beyond the points, what worries the most is Alcaraz's physical condition, which always suffers during this clay-court swing. While Sinner prefers to rest after the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, the Spanish player has chosen to push through and has ended up paying the price. Not even 48 hours passed between the final in Monaco and his opener in Barcelona against Otto Virtanen. Change of climate, conditions, physical strain... Too many factors that have led his body to cry stop.

The reality is that, whatever happens, Carlos Alcaraz will barely make it to Roland Garros. In the best-case scenario, he will compete at the Rome Masters 1000 with caution to prepare, which brings the fear on a mental level of returning from such a delicate injury. All of this assuming he can play at least one of the remaining two major events on the clay swing. If he is not at full capacity, it is clear he will only play Roland Garros, his main short-term goal, but he must be aware of the seriousness of the situation to avoid rushing stages too quickly.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las graves consecuencias que podría sufrir Alcaraz por su lesión de muñeca en la gira de tierra