Carlos Alcaraz picked over Sinner for Laureus Award, but refuses to confirm French Open presence
Carlos Alcaraz has won the 2026 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, beating out Jannik Sinner, but admitted that he is uncertain as to whether he will be fit enough to play the French Open.
The Spaniard was in Madrid on Monday to collect his maiden Laureus award in that category, just days after he officially withdrew from the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz was chosen as the winner over Sinner, Tadej Pogacar, Ousmane Dembele, Armand Duplantis, and Marc Marquez.
The world No 2 joins Roger Federer (2005-08 and 2018), Rafael Nadal (2011 and 2021) and Novak Djokovic (2012, 2015-16, 2019, and 2024) in collecting the prestigious award.
Alcaraz previously won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award for his 2022 season, where he won his maiden Grand Slam – at the US Open – and became the youngest ATP No 1 in history.
“Winning two Grand Slams and finishing the year as the world No 1 is something I dreamt about since I was a little kid,” he remarked whilst accepting the award.
“When I look back, I do not only think about the trophies and the results but also the journey, the work, the difficult moments, the people who stayed by my side and everything I learned.
“I want to thank my family and team. I’m lucky to have them here from the bottom of my heart. They are with me through the good moments and especially the tough ones.
“They help me to grow as a player and as a person. This award belongs to them too.”
Alcaraz finished the 2025 season win a 71-9 win-loss record, two Grand Slams, and the Year-End No 1 trophy.
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However, while it was a celebratory night for the 23-year-old, Alcaraz added further doubt over the timeline for his return to tennis.
The Spaniard last competed against Finn Otto Virtanen during his opening match at the Barcelona Open, winning 6-4, 6-2.
Towards the conclusion of the first set, he appeared to have significant wrist pain and took a medical timeout.
After having undergone a scan, he withdrew from the tournament on the following day and – as stated prior – also opted out of the Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital.
His next events are scheduled to be the Italian Open – beginning May 5 – and the French Open – beginning May 24.
He is defending 3000 ranking points across those two events, having won both 12 months ago.
Given his comments before collecting the award, his participation in both events will be determined by the next scan.
“We will see,” admitted Alcaraz when asked if he will be in Paris for the second Grand Slam of the season.
“The next scan will be decisive, so we are doing everything possible to ensure everything goes well. I am trying to be patient.
“We will see in a few days the state of the injury and the next steps. For now, I am trying to stay positive and keep my spirits up even though the days feel long.”
He also later added that he would not force his participation: “We have a very long race ahead, many years to go, forcing myself to play this Roland-Garros could hurt me a lot for the future.”
Meanwhile, Sinner – who defeated Alcaraz in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters to return to the top spot in the rankings – made clear he hopes his rival recovers as quickly as possible.
“He is going through a difficult moment,” he commented during an interview with Sky Sports Italia.
“He hope to see him again soon on the field, maybe already in Rome.
“I hope he can also be there at Roland Garros, because when you want to win, you want to do it by beating the strongest in the world.”
Aryna Sabalenka won the Sportswoman of the Year Award over Aitana Bonmati, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Faith Kipyegon, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Katie Ledecky.
