Alcaraz to miss French Open title defence with wrist injury

Carlos Alcaraz will not defend his French Open title next month after tests on his injured wrist revealed he would not be ready in time, the world number two said on Friday.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion picked up the injury in the first round of the Barcelona Open earlier this month before withdrawing from the tournament.

Scans showed the issue was more serious than initially thought, after which he also withdrew from the Madrid Open. The Spaniard said he would also skip the Masters tournament in Rome.

"After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing is to be cautious and not participate in Rome and Roland Garros, while we wait to assess the evolution to decide when we will return to the court," Alcaraz said.

"It's a complicated moment for me, but I'm sure we'll come out stronger from here."

Alcaraz was aiming for a third straight title at Roland Garros having also won in 2024. He beat current world number one Jannik Sinner in last year's marathon final which lasted five hours and 29 minutes.