Alcaraz attended the Princess of Girona Foundation's awards ceremony in Spain, and there he spoke glowingly about his family. He said the reason he has become what he is today is because of all the support his parents gave him.

Now I realize that what really matters, my family, who have always been there to support me; they never forced me to play tennis, but always gave me the choice, and that helped me continue to enjoy it and never feel stressed. They're the reason I'm the person I am today.

The 2026 Roland Garros is underway. Alcaraz will miss the chance to bid for the hat-trick as he defeated Alexander Zverev in 2024 and Jannik Sinner last year. Both finals he won after five-set battles.

Now you realize and appreciate the little things more. I highly value staying at home with my family and friends now, doing some silly things at home… those little things are what I truly value now. When you're competing and traveling, you don't realize as much the importance of the simple and small things that are there in your daily life.

Alcaraz's father, Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, found himself on the receiving end of criticism from some sections of the fans after his split with Juan Carlos Ferrero last December. Samuel Lopez, who joined his team in December 2024, is currently coaching him. In his absence, the World No.2's brother, Alvaro Alcaraz, will be handing the coaching responsibilities.

Now that Carlos Alcaraz is not competing in Paris, many believe the draw has become a bit open. Jannik Sinner is playing as the heavy favorite because not just did he feature in a thrilling French Open final last year, but he is on a 29-match winning streak because of his back-to-back wins in the first Masters 1000s of the season, including at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, and the Italian Open.

But John McEnroe believes that if the Serb doesn't face Sinner, he could end up clinching the historic 25th Grand Slam.

If he doesn't have to play Sinner to get to the finals — and by the way, he beat him in Australia; that's one of the best matches he's ever played in his life, to be honest, to be able to pull that off — you'd have to say, when it looked even bleaker that he'd win another one, the door's opened up, obviously, more for him. As well as [Alexander] Zverev, for example, and others who have been struggling.

But Djokovic is projected to lock horns with the four-time Grand Slam champion in the final. This year, in the Australian Open semifinal, the 39-year-old secured a five-set win over Sinner, snapping his five-match losing streak.

It was Sinner who defeated him in the semifinals of last year's French Open, while in 2024, an injury forced him to hand the walkover to three-time Major finalist Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals. Djokovic had lifted his third Roland Garros title in 2023 by defeating the Norwegian ace.

Alcaraz has also confirmed that he will be skipping the Wimbledon Championships. He played the finals in the previous three seasons, winning in 2023 and 2024 against Djokovic, while last year, Sinner dashed his hat-trick chance.

Sinner beat Clement Tabur in the first round of the French Open to schedule his next match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Djokovic overcame Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to schedule his next match against Valentin Royer.

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