Alcaraz and Nadal both will miss the start of the clay season. I don't know whether that could be a problem for Nadal, but it seems that he is mostly going to try and put all eggs in one basket, which is the French Open. He will probably play a least necessary number of tournaments before that and prefers recovery, although I don't quite understand whether he is still recovering and from what. Physically he should be ok by now.
This is what Alcaraz had to say: ""I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine that needs rest to prepare for everything that is to come. See you in 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters."
That doesn't sound very good for him and it is what we have talked about here already. Whether he can break records or not will only depend on his physical condition.
We are about 5 or 6 weeks away from Roland Garros, maybe Nadal is missing the
start of Clay season as a precaution to prevent another possible/likely injury so that
he can play his beloved RG and target the win there. Yes sounds like all the eggs are
going into one basket. This really is the back end of Nadal's career.
Alcaraz - post traumatic arthritis sounds very serious but I have read that it is
usuallytemporary. Its a pity for him that recently he is unable to play because of Injury, recovery
and even more recovery.
We absolutely agree about Nadal and even though it was always fun to watch any game anywhere from him, I prefer to see him only at the Roland Garros if that is how he can best nmanage to stay healthy. But I wonder whether you can simulate the competitive toughness in your training. Not that he doesn't know what's coming, but you want to test your body before the real deal happens. Look at Zverev... But I think Nadal is better at recovering as he has experience and knows what to do.
As for Alcaraz, it is usually temporary, but don't forget that it is not you or me who has it and we must stop typing for a couple of days/weeks, but Alcaraz who uses that body part under most intense conditions possible. That's where the problem is and it could easily turn into a chronic problem.
I just assumed you are not a pro tennis player!
Hope you are ok with it!