Rafael Nadal has broken his silence on the wrist injury that has sidelined Carlos Alcaraz for the entire clay-court swing, revealing he personally called his compatriot after the setback and backing the world No. 2’s decision to skip Roland Garros.
Speaking to RNE Deportes on Thursday at the inauguration of a new museum at his academy in Manacor, the 22-time Grand Slam champion offered a measured, experience-laden assessment of an injury he says he knows well — having torn the same wrist structure twice during his own playing career.
On the diagnosis. “Luckily, it’s not going to be chronic,” Nadal said. “It’s something I know well, because I broke it twice — the same thing he’s broken now, the problem he has with his wrist.” The 39-year-old, who missed the 2014 US Open with a right wrist issue and withdrew from the 2016 French Open with a tendon tear in his left wrist, said he was confident his compatriot was on the correct treatment path.
On the decision to withdraw. Alcaraz, 23, sustained the injury during his first-round win over Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open on April 14 and has not played since, pulling out of Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros — the tournament where he was a two-time defending champion. Nadal endorsed the call.
“He has made the right decisions, taking into account that he is very young, that he has a whole career ahead of him, and that he is doing the treatment he needs to do,” Nadal said. “He is no longer a rookie on the circuit. He knows what happens in these situations. Obviously, it is a big setback for him.”
On the private conversation. Pressed on whether he had been in contact with Alcaraz, Nadal confirmed he had reached out but declined to share details. “Yes, I spoke with him when it happened, and that’s it,” he said. “What we talked about stays between us.”
The wider picture. The timing of the injury is brutal for Alcaraz, who lifted trophies in Rome and Paris a year ago and was locked in a tight race with Jannik Sinner for the world No. 1 ranking.
Sinner, who has continued to accumulate titles in his absence, addressed his rival’s situation earlier this month after his opening win in Madrid, saying tennis “is a much better sport when he’s around.” Alcaraz has not set a return date, with grass-court tournaments next month the earliest realistic target if his rehabilitation allows.
For Nadal, watching from outside the locker room for the first time since his retirement in late 2024, the perspective is long-term. “Things you see today as a huge drama, when you put them in perspective, they look different,” he said. “He is still very young.”
