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Alexander Zverev admits his chances of winning the French Open have been boosted by the withdrawal of reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz. The six-time Grand Slam champion has reigned supreme at Roland Garros for the last two years but was forced to pull out of next month's event due to a wrist injury.

Alcaraz, 22, is also missing the Madrid Open and Italian Open and omitted a timeframe from his return, instead insisting that his comeback to the court will depend on how quickly his wrist will heal. With his absence in Paris, world number one Jannik Sinner has become quite the overwhelming favourite to achieve the Career Grand Slam.

Zverev - who is regarded by many as the greatest men's player to never win a major - agreed that his chances of winning the tournament has increased with Alcaraz's absence when questioned but insisted he wants everyone to be available when competing for a title.

He replied: "Yes, but that's the wrong way to look at it. To win a Grand Slam, you have to beat the best in the world. In recent months, Jannik Sinner has been the best player and still is, so he's the big favourite. But I don't want anyone to be absent. I'll compete the same way and try to win, but it's better when everyone is there."

The German opened up about his sympathy for Alcaraz and the hole he creates when not in action, as he said: "It's sad, sad for tennis. But as he said himself, he's still very young and has a long career ahead, so that has to be his priority. It's never good when top players miss big tournaments. We need him, tennis is more exciting when he's playing. Sometimes people say players are happy when others are out, but that's not true.

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"I've been in that situation myself - injured and unable to play big events - and it's not a good feeling. I wish him a very speedy recovery. Hopefully he'll be back sooner than expected and can still think about Roland Garros. If not, I hope to see him fully fit for the grass-court season."

Zverev's last Grand Slam match ended in heartbreak at the hands of Alcaraz who defeated the 29-year-old in the semi-finals of the Australian Open before beating Novak Djokovic in the final. The world No.3 is in preparations for Roland Garros as he defeated Mariano Navone in the second round of the Madrid Open on Saturday.

Discussing his win over the Argentine ace, Zverev said: "There were ups and downs. The good moments were very high - like the first set, which was almost perfect - and the bad ones were quite low, like the start of the second set.

"I lost a bit of concentration, but there are positives. I felt like I was serving extremely well, especially in the first set. In the end, I found my rhythm again and won in three sets, which is what matters most."

Zverev is set to face Frenchman Terence Atmane in the Round of 32.