Roland Garros will be a quieter place this year. There could still be comebacks and great matches, but it’s hard to imagine any recreating the roar from the Parisian crowd as Carlos Alcaraz raced around the red clay whipping them into a frenzy as he saved three Championship points in his incredible five-set final victory over Jannik Sinner. This season Alcaraz made further history by becoming the youngest man to complete the career grand slam, but where the Spaniard really excels is his ability to excite. Through his shotmaking or infectious spirit, his greatest quality is that it can be hard to take your eyes from him.
But now there is no other option. The defending champion last week confirmed that he would be missing this year’s French Open due to a wrist injury. It will be the first grand slam tournament Alcaraz has been absent for since the 2023 Australian Open, when he was 19, and will likely confirm what has become increasingly apparent since then: that men’s tennis has been overly reliant on Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry. “Tennis needs Carlos,” Sinner said, confirming as much, as he reacted to Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Roland Garros and Rome. “Tennis is a much better sport when he’s around.”
