Why men's tennis is desperate for Carlos Alcaraz to return after developments at the Italian Open

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the French Open and the remainder of the clay court season due to a right wrist injury, with his availability for Wimbledon still uncertain. His absence is being felt at the 2026 Italian Open, where four of the top six seeds have been eliminated after just one match each, including Novak Djokovic losing to Dino Prizmic, as well as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur. With Alcaraz considered the only consistent rival to world number one Jannik Sinner in recent years, commentators argue men's tennis is significantly less competitive without him.