Daniil Medvedev has explained why Carlos Alcaraz’s unfortunate withdrawals from the 2026 Italian Open and the French Open haven’t been widely discussed in the locker room during the Madrid Open. Alcaraz recently stunned the tennis community by announcing he would skip his title defenses in Rome and Paris as he continues to deal with a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open.
Daniil Medvedev Reacts to Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘Crazy’ French Open Withdrawal
The topic of Carlos Alcaraz cutting his clay-court season short has dominated conversations during the Madrid Open, with the likes of Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and Rafael Nadal addressing his decision. However, Daniil Medvedev has disclosed that, inside the locker room, the news hasn’t been discussed much among the players.
Medvedev arrived at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid looking to bounce back from his crushing 6-0, 6-0 loss to Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo. He opened his campaign with a 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 victory over Fábián Marozsán to advance to the third round. Speaking to the Tennis Channel after his triumph, the Russian explained that the tennis world tends to move on quickly, which is why Alcaraz’s decision hasn’t been a topic of conversation.
“I didn’t talk to anyone today about it because yesterday when I heard I was already in the room, so I didn’t see anyone. Um, so I think in general, in the locker room, it doesn’t because everyone knows it’s crazy that it happened because nobody expected it,” Medvedev said. “But again, I think in locker room, nobody’s going to really talk about it because that’s how tennis is. We move on and we will be happy to see him back when he’s back.”
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The former world No. 1 also acknowledged that Alcaraz’s withdrawal has a broader impact on the landscape of the French Open, piling extra pressure on the rest of the ATP field with Jannik Sinner standing as the sole obstacle. Medvedev humorously distanced himself from that pressure, citing his struggles at the clay-court Major.
“It’s crazy also because you know if you want to win a Grand Slam now or even a Masters 1000 there is a big chance you’re going to need to beat Alcaraz and Sinner. Well now you need to beat only Sinner. That’s the way it is. A bit more pressure on everyone else. Probably not on me because I never managed to get far in Roland Garros. So, I’m just going to enjoy it. But of course, really sad for Carlos,” he added.
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Up next, Daniil Medvedev will lock horns with Nicolai Budkov Kjær in the third round of the Madrid Open, following the Norwegian’s 6-2, 6-1 win over Denis Shapovalov. If he triumphs, the Russian will face the winner of the match between Flavio Cobolli and Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in the Round of 16.
