Alcaraz and Sinner: two injuries, more than four months, and five tournaments together in 2026
Spanish and Italian have been absent for more than four months due to injuries and have not met in a tournament since April, when they played the final of the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.
It had been many Sundays since they last coincided in almost a year. This is the phenomenon that has occurred to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026 and what the world of tennis is suffering from. The two best tennis players in the world, who gave us a memorable 2025 with the finals of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open, have suffered different injuries at different times, allowing for only one official duel between them this season: the final of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 at the beginning of April.
In fact, this was the last tournament they competed in together because two days after that final, Alcaraz felt discomfort in his right wrist during his debut at the Conde de Godó Barcelona, and one day later, he announced his withdrawal from the tournament and an indefinite absence that extended over the following weeks.
First it was the Mutua Madrid Open, then followed Roland Garros, where he was defending his title. A few weeks later, he was also forced to withdraw from the grass court season culminating in Wimbledon. Although no one knew the exact extent of the injury, Alcaraz was meeting the timelines, and after renouncing the Masters 1000 in Canada and Cincinnati, he decided to return for the last Grand Slam of the season, the US Open.
While the player from El Palmar was out of the circuit, Sinner was thriving. He had just come off winning in Indian Wells and Miami, followed by Monte Carlo, against Alcaraz, Madrid, and Rome. He completed the clay court Masters 1000 and seemed unstoppable, but the scorching heat of Paris left him KO in the second round of Roland Garros.
It was the first warning from his body, which was beginning to suffer the consequences of the demanding calendar and the little rest. Still, he gave it one last shot at Wimbledon, where he progressed and managed to defend his title. But at that moment, his body said enough.
Alcaraz and Sinner have only met in five tournaments in 2026
What seemed like a reasonable break by skipping the Masters 1000 in Canada and Cincinnati, like Alcaraz, raised all the alarms when he announced his withdrawal from the US Open, due to discomfort in his right knee. As the weeks passed, that discomfort turned into an injury and forced him to not only rule out the Asian tour but also to rule out everything left in 2026, where the Masters 1000 in Paris and the ATP Finals, where he was defending titles, and the Davis Cup, which he had already skipped last year, still remain.
The absences of the two stars of the circuit have been perfectly utilized by Alexander Zverev. At Roland Garros without Alcaraz and at the US Open without Sinner. Two Grand Slams in a year when no one counted on him, and he will ultimately finish as the world number one.
The numbers confirm the magnitude of the injuries and even the similarity between Alcaraz and Sinner; although they have not been the same, the duration is quite similar. The Spanish player's absence lasted four and a half months from early April to late August, while the Italian's began in mid-July, and he is expected to be recovered by December with the season already over.
Insane how much of the season Sincaraz will have missed in 2026:/ Sinner - misses 4 1000s, 1 Slam, ATP Finals Alcaraz - misses 4 1000s, 2 Slams Both will miss 6 big events Were only in the same draw at 5 events: AO, Doha, IW, Miami, Monte-Carlo A “Big 2” comes with fragility
— Vansh (@vanshv2k) October 6, 2026
On the other hand, Alcaraz missed two Grand Slams (Roland Garros and Wimbledon) and four Masters 1000 (Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati), which means six important tournaments. Sinner, for his part, will also miss the same number of important tournaments but broken down differently: one Grand Slam (US Open), four Masters 1000 (Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris) and the ATP Finals.
And here is the last and most devastating piece of information: in 2026, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have only met in five tournaments: Australian Open, ATP 500 in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo. An insufficient number for both, for their fans, and also for the world of tennis, which will not be able to jointly promote its two best players for nine months due to injuries.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz y Sinner: dos lesiones, más de cuatro meses y cinco torneos juntos en 2026