Feliciano Lopez shared some troubling news in a recent interview about Carlos Alcaraz. Speaking in his capacity as tournament director for the Mutua Madrid Open, of which the main draw commences on Tuesday, he suggested that the Rome Masters is practically off the table for his younger compatriot, Carlos Alcaraz. More worryingly for fans of the 22-year-old and organisers of the French Open, he suggested that the defending champions’ chances of recovering quickly enough for when the tournament starts are slim.
Carlos Alcaraz had suffered a wrist injury in his first-round match at the Barcelona Open barely 48 hours after playing in the Monte Carlo final. He was still able to defeat Otto Virtanen, but pulled out before his next match. At the time, it was seen as a precautionary measure; however, he subsequently announced that the situation was more serious than initially thought and that he would also miss the Madrid Masters. Now, the comments from Feliciano Lopez, who peaked at world #12 during his playing days, will no doubt stir even more concern.
Lopez Offers Return Timeframe for Carlos Alcaraz
He did clarify, though, that he had not spoken to Alcaraz’s doctors or the player himself, but was drawing his conclusions from his own experience of having suffered a similar injury during his playing days. He added that his own recovery took roughly 2 months to heal properly. A similar timeframe will certainly keep the world #2 out of Roland Garros and rule out his chances of defending the title he won dramatically last year. López also further noted a key difference, highlighting that Alcaraz’s game relies on extreme topspin and violent wrist snap, whereas he himself relied heavily on a slice backhand.
🔊 “Roma se me antoja casi imposible y ojalá que esté para Roland Garros”
🎾 Feliciano López, sobre la lesión de Carlos Alcaraz que le hará perderse el Mutua Madrid Open#MutuaMadridOpen #Tenis #CarlosAlcaraz #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/2exzBskXII
— Radioestadio Noche (@RadioestadioN) April 19, 2026
It is, without a doubt, not the news anyone was hoping to hear. But his assertions certainly cannot be dismissed so quickly. Carlos Alcaraz clearly plays a high-intensity game with almost no safety valve, hitting almost every ball with 100% intensity, which means any attempts to return before the injury is properly healed will, at best, hinder his game and, at worst, worsen the injury, possibly keeping him out longer-term. Also, as a Spaniard himself, he would likely hold out hope that his countryman would recover in time, making his comments truly concerning.
For now, the attention will shift to the action in the Madrid Masters, where Alcaraz’s great rival, Jannik Sinner, will be looking to win a fifth straight Masters title and, in light of this news, fully assert himself as the player to beat during this clay season. The Italian has now also probably become the out-and-out favourite for Roland Garros. There’ll certainly be at least half an eye on how Alcaraz progresses with this latest injury. And invariably, the discussion surrounding how busy the tennis schedule has become over the years and its impact on players’ health will resurface in full force again, as one of its leading players seems set to be out on the sidelines for a sustained period.
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