French Open organisers have received a boost after it emerged that Carlos Alcaraz was recovering well from his injury and would likely be ready for the tournament. The tournament is in jeopardy as Jannik Sinner looks set to withdraw while defending champion Novak Djokovic is struggling for form. Rafael Nadal has also yet to commit to the clay-court Grand Slam though he will travel to Paris next week.
The French Open faced the prospect of losing all of the top players when Alcaraz and Sinner pulled out of the Italian Open injured, while Djokovic suffered an uncharacteristic early exit in Rome and has barely played this season. But tournament bosses will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as it appears that one of the title favourites will be ready to compete.
Alcaraz has barely been able to play this clay season because of a right forearm injury. The issue forced him out of Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He returned in Madrid where he aggravated the issue following his run to the quarter-final and subsequently pulled out of Rome.
According to Marca, Alcaraz’s injury is now progressing favourably after he returned to practice following 12 days without touching a racket. The world No. 3 will now head to Paris on Wednesday, with the tournament kicking off on Sunday, May 26.
The Spaniard reached the semi-final of the French Open last year, where he faced Djokovic. After they split the first two sets, Alcaraz started cramping and forfeited a game so he could be seen by the physio. Djokovic beat him 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 and went on to lift the trophy.
There are also some question marks surrounding Djokovic ahead of his French Open title defence. The world No. 1 has only played five tournaments this season – one being a team event – and has struggled for form, failing to reach a final.
He enjoyed a positive start to the clay season at the Monte-Carlo Masters where he reached the semi-final for the first time in nine years before going out to Casper Ruud. He then skipped the Madrid Open and returned in Rome, losing his second match to Alejandro Tabilo 6-2 6-3 in just 67 minutes, appearing flat and out-of-sorts.
