French Open: Carlos Alcaraz to miss Grand Slam title defence with wrist injury

It was an ominous sign when Alcaraz wore a cast at the Laureus Sports Awards earlier this week. His screening in Madrid did not provide any reassurance.

Wrist injuries are quite problematic for tennis players, and gambling can be very costly when a problem occurs.

A player suffering from an ankle injury needs to manage the issue carefully, and Alcaraz appeared to say in his statement that he needed to “be cautious”.

The truth is, he doesn’t put a time frame on his return.

Clearly, a tremendous amount of stress is placed on the joint – not just as a player prepares for every tournament in his senior career – but also over the years of honing his technique since he first picked up a racquet.

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who is forced to retire in 2024 due to his own wrist problems, says hitting thousands of balls over and over again over so many years is what makes his wrist so vulnerable.

Different balls with different weights and bounces in different tournaments are seen as another reason why the stress on the joint increases further.