Carlos Alcaraz will rest for at least two more months, missing Rome Open and Roland Garros, and it is still not certain if he will return in time for Wimbledon. It is a major blow for the Spaniard, who started the year as World No. 1, lifting the only Grand Slam he still didn't have, the Australian Open, but had to withdraw from his favourite part of the season, the clay tournaments.
Alcaraz suffers from a De Quervain's tenosynovitis, a common ailment among tennis players: an inflammation of the synovial sheath that covers a tendon (in this case, the tendon of the thumb in the affected wrist) causing pain, stiffness, and limited function, usually caused by repeatedly performing the same movement.
However, an specialist in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology consulted by EFE, José Luis Martínez Romero, warned that if this injury is chronic, it could put an end to his season already. He says that this is not a severe injury and is usually resolved with rest and treatment, but the recovery time varies depending on when it originated.
"If it's acute tenosynovitis, recovery is estimated at four to six weeks, but if the injury is long-standing and chronic, we could be talking about three to six months, which would mean saying goodbye to the current season", Martínez Romero said.
Alcaraz suffered the injury two weeks ago, on April 14 in Barcelona. Roland Garros ends on June 7, and Alcaraz's next tournament would be Queen's Club Championships, where he defends 500 points, between June 15 and June 21, followed by Wimbledon between June 29 and July 12.
It is still early to know when Carlos Alcaraz will return: if treatment goes well, he could be available for Wimbledon, but if his injury is chronic, it may still take months. The reality, at the moment, is that we don't have too much information so it's early to know; and Carlos is currently in Madrid, watching his 15-year-old brother Jaime Alcaraz play in the Mutua Madrid Open Under-16 tournament.