Carlos Alcaraz plans to return from a right wrist injury only when fully recovered, according to a private conversation revealed by former World No. 32 Pablo Andújar. The Spaniard, sidelined since the Barcelona Open, emphasized taking recovery day by day without deadlines. He echoed this patient approach in recent statements.
Carlos Alcaraz injured his right wrist at the Barcelona Open, leading him to miss the Madrid Open and the French Open. Jannik Sinner capitalized on the absence by winning the title in Madrid. Alcaraz appeared at the Mutua Madrid Open U16 to support his brother Jaime, still wearing a bandage on his hand, as Jaime's run ended in a close match. The 22-year-old began 2026 strongly with titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open but faced setbacks, including a semifinal loss to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells, a second-round exit to Sebastian Korda at Miami, and a final defeat to Sinner at Monte Carlo, where he lost the world No. 1 ranking. Pablo Andújar shared details of a private talk with Alcaraz from the day before yesterday during an RNE Deportes interview. “He told me that he wants to come back when he’s 100%,” Andújar said. “He doesn’t set deadlines; he takes it day by day.” Drawing from his own five elbow operations, Andújar stressed patience to avoid anxiety. Alcaraz told RTVE, “I am trying to have a lot of patience these days... I can’t give a timeframe for my return. What I can guarantee is that I’ll do everything possible to come back as soon as I can.” Some in the tennis community question his off-court routine. Jacopo Lo Monaco said on the ‘Schiaffo al volo’ podcast, “Golf may have impacted Carlos. At this level, he must understand he has to make sacrifices.” Greg Rusedski voiced concerns about Wimbledon preparation after missing Paris.
