Carlos Alcaraz’s absence from tennis has now reached three months, but in all honesty, it feels like years.
To lose someone of his quality and cultural importance would be enough to see any sport suffer, and tennis has certainly been worse off for it.
Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev have subsequently profited from this injury, winning the two majors played without him in the draw. And, there have been some fairytale stories to enjoy along the way.
But, as Alex Corretja rather emotionally puts it, tennis without Carlos Alcaraz ‘is hell’.
Carlos Alcaraz’s absence felt heavily by Alex Corretja
Chatting to Marca, Corretja perfectly summed up the sensation of the bulk of tennis’ following when discussing the absence of Alcaraz.
“Not having Carlos on the courts is hell,” he boldly began. “We’ve lost some of our magic, our essence.”
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This much is abundantly clear, as the men’s Wimbledon final perfectly proved just how much tennis misses Alcaraz.
However, Corretja insisted he’s trying to keep positive, despite failing midway through his attempts to cope with his loss.
He claimed: “Not having Carlos on the courts is hell. We’ve lost some of our magic, our essence.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t experience it with the same enthusiasm because, if you love tennis, there are interesting things happening.
“At Roland Garros, without Carlos and then when Sinner and Djokovic lost, it felt like the world was opening up. The tournament became very interesting.
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“But not having Alcaraz isn’t just about tennis anymore; it’s about tension, about the excitement you feel on the day he plays; when he doesn’t play, Sinner or Djokovic does, and the feeling is completely different.
“When I commentate on a Carlos match, there are so many people hooked. You talk to him after the match… It’s a similar situation to when [Rafael] Nadal was playing. Whether they’re there or not makes a big difference.
“Luckily for the Spanish, in Paris, [Rafael] Jodar reached the quarter-finals. You really notice when Alcaraz isn’t there; you feel a bit orphaned, and people let you know.”
Corretja concluded with a ray of hope: “Anyway, I always find joy in whatever it is. For example, I found [Flavio] Cobolli’s run to the Paris final very interesting. Or [Alexander] Zverev winning despite feeling like the favourite. It was a great story.”
When will Carlos Alcaraz be back playing tennis?
The tennis world was sent into a frightened frenzy last week when the Spaniard’s name was absent from the Canadian Open entry list.
Despite this having been an event he had not played in three years, many had theoretically pencilled it in as a potential event for his comeback after missing Wimbledon.
| Event | Performance last year | 2026 winner of that event |
| Barcelona Open | Final | Arthur Fils |
| Madrid Open | Withdrew due to injury | Jannik Sinner |
| Italian Open | Champion | Jannik Sinner |
| French Open | Champion | Alexander Zverev |
| Queen’s | Champion | Francisco Cerundolo |
| Wimbledon | Final | Jannik Sinner |
That was not to be the case, with Alcaraz’s new planned return tournament having been scheduled for the end of summer, right before the US Open.
There is still some way to go, and the nature of his wrist injury means complications could inhibit a smooth recovery.
It is for these reasons and more that Greg Rusedski thinks Alcaraz will miss the US Open too.
However, for now, we are expecting to see him back competing at the Cincinnati Open.
