Alcaraz has been out of action since sustaining the injury at the Barcelona Open, forcing him to miss the Madrid Open, Italian Open and Roland Garros, with the 21-year-old now also confirming he will sit out the entire grass-court swing.
In his absence, World No 1 Sinner has dominated the ATP Tour, winning every tournament he has entered since Alcaraz’s injury.
Despite their high-profile rivalry on court, the pair share a strong mutual respect, with Sinner offering support to his injured counterpart.
Speaking to Paris Match, the Italian described Alcaraz’s setback as “unfortunate news” and advised him not to rush his return to competition.
“Obviously, I know him very well, including on a personal level, and he’s going through a very difficult time. But at the same time, you know, it’s sport, and sport is very unpredictable,” he continued.
“Injuries come and go. It’s like success and victories. They also come and go, but he’s still very young. And I think the absolute priority is to get 100% healed and not rush things, because that could have consequences for the rest of his career. And that’s very dangerous.
“But at the same time, even if Carlos were to play, I know we could only meet in the final. There’s still a long way to go, and a lot can happen. This sport is very unpredictable, and I’m fully focused on my game. On what I have to do. And then we’ll see what happens.”
Despite their dominance at the big events, Sinner and Alcaraz have only played one ATP Tour match together in 2026.
That came at the Monte Carlo Masters, which saw Sinner defeat Alcaraz in straight sets to win the Masters event for the first time in his career.
That victory helped Sinner close the gap on Alcaraz as he picked up his seventh victory in 17 matches against the Spaniard. Sinner has won his last two matches against Alcaraz, in Monte Carlo and the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz’s last victory over Sinner came in the 2025 US Open final, which the Spaniard won in four sets to win the sixth Grand Slam title of his career.
