Mutua Madrid Open tournament director Feliciano Lopez has warned that Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist problem could threaten the Spaniard’s clay-court run as the season moves toward Rome and Roland Garros.

Lopez, a former player who spoke to Radioestadio Noche, described the injury as “a typical tennis injury” and compared it to his own experience. “I’ve had that injury… I was out for two months, more or less,” Lopez said on Monday. “I’m not sure the extent of his injury. I was out for two months, but when I had to stop I could barely hold a racquet in my hand. He was able to finish the match and have a few days (to rest).”

The problem forced Alcaraz to withdraw from Barcelona after one match and to skip his home Masters 1000 event in Madrid. It arrives after an uneven clay swing that included a run to the Monte Carlo final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner and Sinner regained the world No. 1 ranking. In Barcelona Alcaraz won his opening match but played with heavy strapping on his wrist before ultimately withdrawing.

Lopez said he had not been in direct contact with Alcaraz or the player’s medical staff, but he underlined the timing and the ranking stakes. “I wish him the best and I hope he recovers as soon as possible, because this is an important season for him,” Lopez added. “It’s true that Carlos can win on any court, but there’s Madrid, another Masters 1000 in Rome, and Roland Garros, where he’s the defending champion. So there are 4,000 points at stake in three very prestigious tournaments.

“So Madrid is out, Rome seems almost impossible to me. Hopefully he will be fit for Roland Garros.”

Concern grew after new photos showed Alcaraz wearing a rigid splint on his wrist and forearm. The images, shared on social media by Los Chopos, show straps fixing the hand and wrist in place, a device typically used for fractures, severe sprains, ligament injuries or post-surgical immobilization. He was also seen wearing a wrist brace during a recent outing in Albacete.

Jack Draper will miss the upcoming ATP Masters events in Madrid and Rome after an aggravated tendon in his right knee forced him to retire late in the third set of his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell match with Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The left-hander has been limited to four tournaments this season after recovering from a lengthy left-arm injury, and this latest setback compounds an already interrupted campaign.

“It’s frustrating for sure, but I am thankful it isn’t anything more serious,” he said in a statement reported by British press. “Recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros. I am looking forward to building momentum from there.”

Draper’s 2025 clay-court form is central to the stakes here. He was a surprise finalist at the Mutua Madrid Open and reached the quarterfinals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. He later advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the first time, only to have momentum interrupted by a bone bruise in his left arm that stalled his climb toward the ATP’s Top 4.

Those two ATP Masters 1000 events that precede the season’s second major still account for nearly 53 percent of Draper’s current point total. With the Madrid and Rome results set to drop off the rankings, the world No. 28 is projected to fall outside the Top 70 ahead of his bid to get fit for Paris.

The immediate priority for Draper is recovery and timing his return for Roland Garros. He has signaled confidence in his rehabilitation, but the loss of points from the Masters series will produce a rapid ranking decline unless he can replicate past performances on the clay leading into the Grand Slam.

The 2026 Mutua Madrid Open draw sets the stage for Jannik Sinner as he pursues a fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title and his first at the Caja Magica. Sinner, the world No. 1, received a first-round bye and will open against a qualifier. He reclaimed the top ranking from Carlos Alcaraz by winning the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, and with both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic absent from the draw due to injuries, a new challenger must emerge to halt his 17-match winning streak.

Two Americans stand out as potential obstacles. Tommy Paul, the 15th seed, could meet Sinner in the fourth round. Paul began the clay season by winning the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston. Ben Shelton, the No. 4 seed, is on course to meet Sinner in the semifinals and arrives fresh off a BMW Open title in Munich. Shelton’s Munich win was the biggest clay-court title for a U.S. man since Andre Agassi’s run to the Rome title in 2002, months before Shelton was born.

Paul will open against either Roberto Bautista Agut, who is competing in his final season, or Thiago Tirante. Shelton faces either Raphael Collignon or Matteo Berrettini in his opening match.

The top half of the draw also features Barcelona champion Arthur Fils, who anchors a quarter that includes 2025 finalist Jack Draper and No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti. With Alcaraz absent, Alexander Zverev is the No. 2 seed and will play his first match against Nuno Borges or Mariano Navone. Zverev has produced consistent results during the 2026 season but has tended to falter in the late rounds, most recently at his home tournament in Munich.

Also sharing Zverev’s quarter are No. 17 seed Learner Tien and No. 7 seed Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev is seeking to recover after a rare 6-0, 6-0 loss in Monte Carlo. With several clay-form winners and higher seeds missing, the draw leaves room for new narratives as Sinner attempts to extend his streak in Madrid.