Carlos Alcaraz sportsman of the'year, but challenge with Jannik Sinner postponed: his admission
Carlos Alcaraz is the Sportsman of the Year. The Spanish tennis player won the Laureus Awards 2026 in Madrid, beating among others his friend-rival Jannik Sinner. The latter, who was present at the ceremony, expressed all his sympathy to him for the wrist injury that is forcing him to a forced stop in recent weeks. And the Murcia outfielder himself took stock of the situation by framing his goals for the immediate future.
“The next medical exam will be crucial to make a decision,” Alcaraz told ‘TVE’ on the sidelines of the Laureus Awards ceremony about the possibility of participating in Roland Garros. A pivotal stage of the season to which, moreover, Sinner has already given him an appointment. “We will do everything possible so that the outcome of the examination will be positive. These days I have to be very patient, I’m trying. I’m trying to stay positive and motivated, even though these will be really long days,” he added.
Sinner himself, at the microphones of ‘Sky Sport’, wanted to send a message of closeness to his friend-rival, but also expressed his wish to see him in front of him on the field soon: “Carlos is going through a moment that is not easy. We all hope to see him back on the field as soon as possible. Maybe already in Rome. I, as an opponent, hope he will be there for Roland Garros as well. Because anyway when you want to win you aim to do it against the strongest players in the world. And he is definitely there. Others have had rivalries that lasted fifteen and more years. We are just getting started, so anything can still happen between us.”
Hopes of seeing Alcaraz back on the court in Rome, however, seem rather remote at the moment. Madrid tournament director Feliciano Lopez, who has experienced a similar problem firsthand during his own career, was very pessimistic about the Spaniard’s situation: “I have been out of action for about two months with a wrist problem, but I don’t know what the extent of his injury is. I think it is almost impossible for him to play in Rome, hopefully he can recover for Paris.” A prospect that, if confirmed, would weigh enormously on the ranking level as well: Alcaraz risks losing up to 3,000 ATP points in the coming weeks, considering that last year he had triumphed at both the Internazionali d’Italia and Roland Garros, beating Sinner himself in the final on both occasions.
On the Alcaraz case, Adriano Panatta also expressed himself, who on ‘La Domenica Sportiva’ did not mince words in singling out the Spaniard’s responsibility: “Carlos at 21-22 years old, with all the trophies he won, he became more enterprising, he wanted to change and he made a mistake.” The former Italian champion referred to the separation from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, emphasizing how that bond was crucial to the Murcia tennis player’s growth. Panatta then drew an enlightening parallel between the two great rivals: “From what I see, Sinner has an absolute dedication to tennis, everything is programmed to get the maximum result. He looks like a Martian. Alcaraz has a different conception of happiness. And that can make a difference in the long run.”
In the meantime, Sinner is looking ahead and preparing for the Madrid Masters 1000, scheduled for April 22 to May 3, where he will start as the big favorite. For the South Tyrolean this is a historic occasion: by winning the tournament, he would become the first tennis player to win five consecutive Masters 1000s, following his successes in Paris-Bercy, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo. It was precisely the Monegasque final against Alcaraz, won by Sinner, that had registered record ratings: more than 3.2 million average total viewers in total audience between Sky and TV8, with a share of 25.1%, confirming how the rivalry between the two champions has now become a phenomenon capable of enthralling millions of fans far beyond the borders of the tennis world.
