Two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will miss this year’s Championships after failing to recover in time from a wrist injury.
The world number two damaged his right wrist during the first round of the Barcelona Open in April and has not played since. The Spaniard had already withdrawn from the French Open, where he is the two-time defending champion, as he focused on rehabilitation.
“My recovery is going well and I’m feeling much better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to compete, which is why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon,” Alcaraz, 23, wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
“They are two truly special tournaments for me and I will miss them a lot.
“We’ll keep working to come back as soon as possible.”
Alcaraz was the defending champion at Wimbledon last year but lost the final to rival Jannik Sinner. Earlier this season he lifted his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
The injury setback halts his momentum in 2026, ruling him out of the entire grass-court season and most of the clay swing. He had been due to play at Queen’s Club, where he is a two-time winner, before Wimbledon begins on 29 June.
His absence is likely to widen the rankings gap to Sinner, who replaced him as world number one last month and has claimed the past six Masters 1000 titles, including three in the last five weeks. The pair have shared the past nine men’s major singles trophies, with Alcaraz winning five.
Alcaraz’s withdrawal opens up the Wimbledon draw and strengthens Sinner’s title hopes, although the Italian has said he will skip grass-court warm-up events after an intense run of matches.
Wrist injuries remain one of tennis’s most feared setbacks. Alcaraz previously stressed the need for caution when speaking at the Laureus Awards in April.
He said, “I have a very long career ahead of me, with many years still to come. Forcing things at this Roland Garros could really harm me for future tournaments.”
Recall that Dominic Thiem retired at the end of 2024 after his career was derailed by a wrist injury, while Juan Martin del Potro struggled with persistent wrist problems following his 2009 US Open triumph.
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