Carlos Alcaraz was crowned as the Sportsman of the Year for the first time at the Laureus World Sports Awards, becoming the fourth male tennis player to win the award (after Novak Djokovic with 5 awards, Roger Federer with 4, and Rafa Nadal with 2). In the award ceremony, held in Madrid, he appeared with a splint on his arm because of his wrist injury, which has already caused him to miss Barcelona Open and Madrid Open... and raising concerns about his participation in Roland Garros next month.
Speaking in a press conference, Alcaraz did not want to commit to a specific comeback date, but he was already mentally prepared that he may miss Roland Garros this year... and that's okay. "I'd rather come back a little later but in great shape than come back early, rushing around, and unwell."
"We have a very long career ahead of us, many years, and pushing myself too hard at Roland Garros could seriously harm my chances in future tournaments, so we'll see how the test goes, which is what we're relying on", Alcaraz said, explaining that the complete state of his injury won't be known until further tests are made on him. He is wearing a splint to immobilise his arm, but he needs more rest before taking that test.
"Things happen in the professional world. You have to accept them", said Alcaraz. "Hopefully, it's nothing serious, and we can get back on the courts soon, but we know that I have to recover very well if I don't want it to affect me later on".