Carlos Alcaraz’s unfortunate withdrawal from the rest of the European clay-court swing has left the draw wide open. The former world No. 1 is currently recovering from a wrist injury he sustained during his opening match at the Barcelona Open.
That is a stunning development for the tennis world, especially given that the Spaniard would have defended his French Open title. However, former player Andrea Petkovic believes the situation could still work in Novak Djokovic’s favor, despite the presence of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
How Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open Withdrawal Impacts Novak Djokovic’s Mindset
Alcaraz recently cut short his clay-court campaign to recover from a devastating wrist injury. The Spaniard has played just six matches on the surface in 2026, highlighted by a run to the final at the Monte-Carlo Masters and a lone appearance at the Barcelona Open. Alcaraz’s withdrawals dealt a major setback, with the Spaniard relinquishing 3,000 points as the defending champion across both events.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is yet to begin his build-up to the French Open, having last competed at the BNP Paribas Open. The Serb is currently dealing with a right shoulder injury and could also miss the upcoming Italian Open. Despite the limited preparation, former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic believes he could still capitalize in Paris, even with Jannik Sinner in the mix.
“I think so. You know why I say that? First of all, he has beaten Jannik at the Australian Open earlier this year. Second of all, Jannik I mean talking with about weaknesses with Jannik is a joke, because he basically has none. Well, he doesn’t have any. However, he has never won a match that goes above 3 hours 51. Right? We’ve talked about this a million times. He has troubled in five setters and so on and so forth. They are working on it. I think he will break through that barrier eventually. I’m not worried for him at all,” she said on the recent episode of “The Big T Podcast.”
Petkovic believes Djokovic will sense an opportunity at the French Open, with Alcaraz out and only Sinner as the main hurdle, especially given Sinner’s concerns in longer matches.
“However, if you go into a tournament like Novak is, he will count on these things. Carlos is out. He has to potentially only quote unquote get through Sinner. And Sinner, possibly has problems in longish matches. So he will definitely sniff out his chances. Last year he was I thought he was playing unbelievable tennis at Roland Garros,” she said.
The German said that the shifting circumstances could push the 24-time Grand Slam champion to recalibrate and peak for the French Open.
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“He beat Alexander Zverev in four sets and pretty handy in the last three sets being such a tactical mastermind in that match. So I do think that, I’m 100% sure that he was hoping more for Wimbledon, but with how cards have been shuffled in this last few days, I do think his mindset is going to kick. The mindset of a goat is going to kick in and he will adjust his preparation to peak at Roland Garros,” she concluded.
Djokovic has lifted the French Open trophy three times, in 2016, 2021, and 2023, and could now target a fourth title, along with a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown if he features this year. Meanwhile, Sinner has won four Grand Slam titles so far, but it’s only the French Open title that has eluded him.
