Jannik Sinner says 'tennis needs Carlos' after Alcaraz pulls out of French Open

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's 2025 French Open final was one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Andy Cheung / Getty Images Share articleIn the eyes of most tennis fans, the French Open men’s singles title became world No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s to lose when Carlos Alcaraz withdrew with a right wrist injury Friday. Hours after Alcaraz’s announcement that his clay season was over, his nearest rival in the pursuit of all-time greatness wasn’t as concerned about his chances at lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires as he was about the health of his sport — and of Alcaraz. “I think most important is to say that first of all, tennis needs Carlos,” Sinner said at a news conference after a second-round win over Benjamin Bonzi in Madrid. “Tennis is a much better sport when he’s around.” While tennis will be missing one of its most eye-popping players, the French Open will be missing its two-time defending champion. Sinner is now an even bigger favorite to win his fifth Grand Slam title there, with which he would complete the career Grand Slam. This past January, Alcaraz became the youngest man to achieve the feat, winning at the Australian Open. Sinner’s kind words about his rival were hardly a surprise. As they both rule men’s tennis, Sinner and Alcaraz have spoken extensively about how much they appreciate their rivalry. Off-court, it makes a difference to have another person to share the spotlight, someone who understands the unique pressure of being one of the two best players in the world by a distance. Each player serves as a competitive benchmark for the other. Sinner’s epic loss to Alcaraz in last year’s French Open final helped spur his win over Alcaraz at Wimbledon just over a month later. Another loss to Alcaraz in the U.S. Open final made the Italian work to make his game less predictable. “It’s nice when he is around,” Sinner said. “It makes me look also in the draw and seeing matches in a different way, even though if I would face Carlos, it would always be in the final, being a No. 1 and No. 2 seed.” Alcaraz has missed just one Grand Slam, the 2023 Australian Open, since the start of 2021. Sinner said he was pleased Friday to see his rival being cautious with his injured wrist for the sake of career longevity. “I do believe he’s going to come back stronger than before, but injury is always tough, especially wrist,” Sinner said. “There are certain areas of our body that are very sensitive, and the wrist, we saw with all the players in the past, can complicate our lives. So I hope he’s going to come back and he will not have any further injuries. “But I also believe that it’s good that he and his team takes the time, because if you come back too early, then maybe you have a bigger problem afterwards. And we all want that he’s competitive from when he’s going to come back. Well, in this case, now it’s next goal, I guess, for him. And I hope so, I guess it’s Wimbledon. So I hope he’s going to be back there. “Whoever’s in the draw, it’s always a long way in any case. This is all secondary now. I send him a speedy recovery, though it’s painful and very sad for all tennis.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms