Alcaraz's Roland Garros Chances Could Take Massive Hit After Latest Injury Setback

Monday, 28 April 2025 at 22:54

byErik Virostko

Carlos Alcaraz will likely be the favorite at clay events for the rest of his career, but that might not be the case at this year's Roland Garros.

Alcaraz started this year's clay-court season in the best possible way. He won the Monte-Carlo Masters and looked to be on his way to winning the Barcelona Open as well. But Holger Rune beat him in the final, and Alcaraz even injured himself in the final.

Because of the injury, the four-time Grand Slam champion was forced to withdraw from the ongoing Madrid Open, which significantly impacts his preparations for the clay-court Grand Slam.

Luckily for the 21-year-old, out of all clay-court events, the conditions in Madrid are probably the furthest from those in Paris, so missing the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in the Spanish capital might not impact Alcaraz that much after all.

Still, having to miss a tournament is never ideal for a player, and there could be another problem for Alcaraz. Although the ATP World No. 3 player said that he is optimistic about his chances of competing at the French Open, he said the same thing about the Madrid Open, and ultimately withdrew.

So the question is whether Alcaraz will be healthy enough at the Roland Garros this year. Former ATP World No. 1 player Jim Courier discussed this recently on Tennis Channel.

The 54-year-old explained that the first week of the Parisian Slam likely won't be a problem for Alcaraz, unless he faces someone like Reilly Opelka.

"I wouldn’t be concerned about his tennis level because the best of five gives these players more time, they are protected from a seeding standpoint from playing anyone inside the Top 32."

"Unless you run into someone like Reilly Opelka who can make it not about the tennis and about reactions, that would be worrying if I was on Team Alcaraz. But other than that, I think he will have time to work his way into the tournament."

What could be a problem for Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros?

However, according to Courier, the problem for Alcaraz can come in the second week of the tournament. The Spaniard might make some sacrifices and adjust his game plan if he isn't healthy enough to compete at his best level.

"The question is if he gets into week two, as we all think he would, assuming he is healthy. Does he have the legs and the stamina to stay in and make the right decisions, or is he forced to make compromised choices?"

Courier thinks that having to adjust because of a physical problem could significantly impact Alcaraz's chances of succeeding at the French Open this year.

"When you have to do those in the latter stages of a major and up that risk profile, that’s when things can get a little skewed."

For now, Alcaraz still has time to recover from his injury. He aimed to be healthy already at the Italian Open in Rome, and whether he will appear at that tournament will be a major indication of his physical state.