Roddick and Wertheim share caution around Alcaraz wrist injury: "I don’t think you ever question a player taking the long view with an injury"

The clay swing continues in fine voice, but the distinctive Carlo Alcaraz has left a huge hole. The seven-time Grand Slam champion's wrist injury picked up at the Barcelona Open, has left huge consequences for this season, making him miss the upcoming Rome Open and French Open. Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim discussed the story that has dominated the tennis world for some time now on the podcast Served. They shed concern on whether Wimbledon will be a realistic tournament to come back to, while stating whether or not he made the right decision.

Roddick divulged the situation while sharing his overwhelming concern at the abruptness of the injury. "He’s out for Rome and he’s out for Roland Garros. It’s not good. We saw him in a cast, there was speculation, and then the confirmation came. It’s unusual—you play a match in Monte Carlo, then one in Barcelona, win that match, and then suddenly pull out. At first, that kind of withdrawal suggests maintenance, but this goes beyond that. Writing off the next month is concerning."

Wertheim was also deeply worried, using case studies from the past. "It’s hard to spin this positively, but one thing we can say is it doesn’t look like a tear," he said. "When you hear 'wrist' in tennis, your mind goes to dark places—players like Juan Martín del Potro or Dominic Thiem, who were never the same after wrist issues."

Aside from that, there is a positive spin put on it if he follows a trajectory Similar to Rafael Nadal. "On the other hand, we’ve seen cases like Rafael Nadal in 2016—he had a wrist injury, missed Wimbledon, and then came back strong later that year. So we hope it’s something like that."

Alcaraz will drop a grand total of 3000 points due to skipping his title defences in Rome and Paris, heavily stunting his ambitions of returning to world number one, especially if Jannik Sinner continues playing the tennis he has been for some time now.

Despite this, Roddick was in full agreement not to risk it, prioritising long term over short term. "I don’t think you ever question a player taking the long view with an injury—especially someone like Carlos, who already has seven majors and is chasing history," he stated.

"Look at the players Jon mentioned—Del Potro, Thiem. If you’re Alcaraz, why risk anything? One major isn’t worth jeopardising your long-term career. We don’t know exactly what the injury is, but based on context, it doesn’t seem extreme. You don’t play a Monte Carlo final and then Barcelona if something is seriously torn. So hopefully it’s precautionary. The biggest thing for him is health—that’s the only real obstacle to his trajectory right now."

Roddick has also experienced trouble with his wrist before, but that was for different reasons. "I had one on my left wrist," he explained. "I dove on match point and landed on it. I played the next match with basically a chipped backhand. I had to miss a few weeks, but it wasn’t long-term."

While it was a blow, it was a much better outcome than a muscle injury similar to Alcaraz's. "There’s a big difference between impact injuries—like landing on your wrist—and overuse injuries from stroke production. Mine was the former. The more concerning ones are when your stroke itself causes the problem, like with Thiem or Del Potro."

Following the clay swing, tennis makes the transition to grass for a period of time. The big tournament everyone will be targeting is Wimbledon, a tournament close to the Spaniard's heart after winning it twice. He will be hoping to make the trip to SW19 after losing his title last year to Sinner in an exhilarating final.

However, the signs are not totally clear yet on whether he will be participating. "Of course—because we don’t know anything yet," Roddick answered when quizzed whether Wimbledon should be thrown into doubt. "If you’re pulling out four weeks in advance, there’s concern. But based on the context, it feels more like wear and tear than a major tear. Still, we’re guessing. We’re not doctors. It’s a wait-and-see situation."

That is the second time Alcaraz has come out of the Barcelona Open injured. It is a busy period where he travels straight from the Monte-Carlo Masters to compete in Catalonia. Because of this, he has been injured for the prior two Madrid Open tournaments - a heavy blow. "He’s had issues around Barcelona before when playing back-to-back clay events after Monte Carlo," Roddick analysed. "It might be worth reconsidering that stretch of the calendar, even though there are local pressures to play."

The prospect of Alcaraz not competing in Madrid, Rome or Roland Garros is a tantalising one of you are one of his rivals. The door has been cast wide open for players to jump on the situation, as the 2004 US Open champion explained.

"It opens things up. Someone like Jannik Sinner could push for something big, even a career slam. And then there’s a 38-year-old Serbian player—Novak Djokovic—who now might only have to beat one of the top two instead of both."

While this is the case, players have come out feeling sad and sombre about their fellow tennis players being stuck on the sidelines in a crucial part of the season. "Two things can be true. Players will feel for Carlos—it’s bad for the sport when he’s not there," Roddick continued. "But at the same time, they know their path is easier. Instead of having to beat both Alcaraz and Sinner, maybe now it’s just one. That changes things."