‘Not having Carlos Alcaraz on the court is hell – we’ve lost some of our magic’
Spanish tennis great Alex Corretja has described Carlos Alcaraz’s absence from tennis due to injury as “hell” and claimed the sport has “lost some magic.”
Alcaraz has been sidelined from the tour since 14 April, when he suffered a right wrist injury during his opening round win against Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion is yet to confirm when he will return to action, although he is not on the entry list for the Canadian Open, which is the next big tournament on the calendar after Wimbledon.
The world No 2 recently shared an update on his Instagram account featuring a selection of training photos and videos, with the caption: “On the right path.”
Boris Becker has since expressed concern that Alcaraz is “still far off”, while Greg Rusedski has said he would be “shocked” if the Spaniard plays the US Open.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, Corretja discussed the impact of Alcaraz being unable to play.
“Not having Carlos on the courts is hell. We’ve lost some of our magic, our essence,” said the two-time Roland Garros finalist.
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“That doesn’t mean I don’t experience it with the same enthusiasm because, if you love tennis, there are interesting things happening.
“At Roland Garros, without Carlos and then when Sinner and Djokovic lost, it felt like the world was opening up. The tournament became very interesting.
“But not having Alcaraz isn’t just about tennis anymore, it’s about tension, about the excitement you feel on the day he plays; when he doesn’t play, Sinner or Djokovic does, and the feeling is completely different.
“When I commentate on a Carlos match, there are so many people hooked. You talk to him after the match… It’s a similar situation to when [Rafael] Nadal was playing. Whether they’re there or not makes a big difference.
“Luckily for the Spanish, in Paris, [Rafael] Jodar reached the quarter-finals. You really notice when Alcaraz isn’t there; you feel a bit orphaned, and people let you know.
“Anyway, I always find joy in whatever it is. For example, I found [Flavio] Cobolli’s run to the Paris final very interesting. Or [Alexander] Zverev winning despite feeling like the favourite. It was a great story.”
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