2-time French Open champion Alcaraz will not defend title after further tests on injured wrist
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Carlos Alcaraz will not play for a third consecutive French Open title due to a right wrist injury.
Alcaraz wrote in X on Friday that he would not play in the previous Italian Open in Rome, which he won again last year.
No. 2 Alcaraz was injured at the Barcelona Open this month while winning the first round. He resigned the next day.
He pulled out of this week’s Madrid Open and attended the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday with his wrist out of action. Alcaraz was named world player of the year.
Alcaraz confirmed he would not travel to Paris after further medical tests on Friday.
“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,” he wrote in X. “It’s a tough time for me, but I’m sure we’ll come out stronger from here.”
Alcaraz started the year in exciting form, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open. That made him the youngest player to win all four major tennis titles.
He has won just one title since, in Doha in February, and will be without a title at the major clay court events. He lost the Monte Carlo final to Jannik Sinner earlier this month and surrendered the No. 1 ranking to his Italian rival.
Last year, Alcaraz beat Sinner in the finals of the Italian Open and the French Open, where he saved three match points in a heroic match. Alcaraz then lost in the Wimbledon final to Sinner before beating him again in the US Open final.
The Italian Open starts on May 5, with the French Open following on May 18.
Mboko struggles to serve
Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., and Gabriel Diallo of Montreal are out of the Madrid Open after losing in the second round of the 1000-ranked clay court tournament.
Mboko was upset 6-4, 6-1 by American Caty McNally, while Diallo withdrew from his match with Elmer Moller from Denmark who was injured when they trailed 7-5, 3-3.
Mboko, ranked 10th in the women’s tie, managed to score just one point at halftime against McNally. He struggled in action, facing 12 break points, saving eight, and having six double faults.
The 19-year-old Mboko was making his Madrid debut after recovering from dental surgery that saw him miss Canada’s 3-1 loss to Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifier.
She has reached at least the quarterfinals in her last three WTA 1000 events, including an appearance in the final of the Qatar Open in February, although those events were in her strong suit.
Diallo was trailing Denmark’s Elmer Moller 7-5, 3-3 when he pulled out of the tournament due to injury.
The move came shortly after Diallo called time out of treatment.
Diallo, ranked 32nd in the event, broke Moller once the match started and went up a double break with a chance to go up 4-2 in the second set, but broke after Moller came back.
Both Mboko and Diallo had first rounds in Madrid as solid players.
