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.

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.

Rafael Jodar has completed a rapid climb up the ATP rankings, leaping from No. 55 to No. 42 to register his first appearance inside the Top 50. The 19-year-old Madrid native reached his first ATP 500 semifinal in Barcelona, a run that delivered the ranking boost.

A year ago Jodar was ranked No. 686. His rise accelerated in recent weeks: three weeks ago he broke into the Top 100 for the first time, moving from No. 109 to No. 89 after reaching the third round in Miami as a qualifier. Two weeks later he captured the first ATP title of his career in Marrakech, which propelled him from No. 89 to No. 57.

The Barcelona run extended his winning streak to eight consecutive matches, and at one point he won 13 sets in a row. Those results are enough to make him the youngest player in the ATP Top 50 and the Top 100, roughly one month younger than fellow 19-year-old Joao Fonseca, who is ranked No. 31.

There are several other notable moves this week. Corentin Moutet moved from No. 31 to No. 30 for his Top 30 debut after reaching the second round in Barcelona. Twenty-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce made his Top 100 debut, rising from No. 101 to No. 99. Landaluce had surged from No. 151 to No. 106 after Miami, and despite a first-round loss in Barcelona he crossed into the Top 100 as other players fell.

Winners and runners-up at last week’s ATP 500 events also advanced. Ben Shelton, who won Munich, remains at No. 6 but narrowed the gap to Felix Auger-Aliassime from a 200-point deficit (4,100 to 3,900) to just 30 points (4,100 to 4,070). Munich runner-up Flavio Cobolli rose from No. 16 to a career-high No. 13. Arthur Fils, the Barcelona champion, climbed from No. 30 to No. 25, his highest ranking since last September. Andrey Rublev, the finalist, moved from No. 15 to No. 12, his best position since last August.

On the WTA side, Elena Rybakina remains at No. 2 after winning the WTA 500 in Stuttgart, and Marta Kostyuk moved from No. 28 to No. 23 after taking the WTA 250 title in Rouen.