Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ruled out of French Open due to injury

The 22-year-old admitted that it is "a difficult time", but has vowed to "come out of it stronger".

The Spaniard, 22, has not played since withdrawing from the recent Barcelona Open, and took to social media on Friday to confirm his absence for the upcoming major.

"After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing to do is to be cautious and not participate in Rome or Roland-Garros as we wait to evaluate the progress so we can decide when to return to the court," Alcaraz wrote.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner, who will also miss the Italian Open, added: "This is a difficult time for me, but I am sure we will come out of it stronger."

Alcaraz is the back-to-back defending French Open champion. He won the title for the first time in 2024 before retaining his crown by beating Jannik Sinner in an epic final last year.

In Alcaraz's absence, Sinner will be looking to complete the career Grand Slam in Paris, while Novak Djokovic - should the Serbian be fit enough to play - will seek to win a record 25th Grand Slam.

Djokovic recently admitted that he "hopes to be ready" for Roland-Garros after battling with a shoulder injury this season.

The veteran has only won the title three times throughout his stellar career, with Rafael Nadal - a 14-time winner of the major - famously dominating the clay surface.

Djokovic's last win in Paris came in 2023, with Alcaraz picking up the mantle the following year and has held it ever since.

But the world No. 2 will give it up this season, and the top-ranked Sinner - the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion - may not have a better opportunity to scoop the career Grand Slam.

As the exciting on-court rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner continued to intensify, the Spaniard was the first to complete the career Grand Slam when he won the Australian Open earlier this year.

Alcaraz was on for a rare calendar Grand Slam, having finally claimed the only major that had evaded him to that point, but he will no longer be able to achieve it this year.

He last missed a Grand Slam tournament in 2023 when he was absent from the Australian Open due to a hamstring injury, and has played in the last 12 since then.

Of those dozen, he has taken six titles, finished as a runner-up and was stopped at the semi-final and quarter-final stage twice each, with one second round exit.

No player has a better Grand Slam record than Alcaraz in recent years, who will come to be fit enough to fight to win his Wimbledon crown back this summer.

TNT Sports is the exclusive French Open broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Coverage of every court will be available to watch live on HBO Max