Carlos Alcaraz: A Theory Emerges About His Injury—Is Jannik Sinner Involved?

Like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz had an unusual 2026, marked by a wrist injury that sidelined him for four months. The Murcia native returned in time for the U.S. Open, but he is still far from his best form, as was evident at the Shanghai Masters 1000, where he suffered a surprising upset loss to Zizou Bergs.

According to former Australian tennis player Rennae Stubbs, the Spanish player injured himself while trying to imitate Novak Djokovic and improve his serve in the style of Jannik Sinner: “Carlos tried to serve like Djokovic does; he trained really hard to copy him and ended up injuring his wrist,” Stubbs said.

“Carlos’s and Nole’s serves are almost identical; they have a very fluid body movement that’s beautiful to watch, but the problem for Carlos—who has always greatly admired his colleague’s serve—is that by trying so hard to imitate him, he ended up getting injured,” is the unique theory that’s sparking debate on social media.

Alcaraz allegedly did this to put his rival, Jannik Sinner, on the defensive: “Changing his wrist action on the serve like that caused him obvious problems. Carlos used that slight downward movement—modeling it after Novak’s—which ruined his mobility. I think these changes and adjustments have taken a toll on his wrist.”

According to the former tennis player, Alcaraz could suffer consequences in the future as well: “His serve now lacks its usual power, and he absolutely must improve his serve; it will be crucial for him if he wants to put pressure on Jannik Sinner.”