Carlos Alcaraz, the 23-year-old world No. 2 and two-time Wimbledon champion, announced on May 19 that he will withdraw from the 2026 Wimbledon tournament and the Queen's Club warm-up event because of a right wrist injury [1, 2, 3]. Alcaraz said, "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. They are two truly special tournaments for me and I will miss them a lot" [1].
The injury was first sustained in April during the first round of the Barcelona Open. Alcaraz withdrew from that tournament and subsequently missed the Madrid Open, Rome Masters, and the French Open despite being the reigning two-time champion there [1, 3, 4]. He has not played in a match since withdrawing from Barcelona [2, 5]. His absence leaves a major void in the men’s game just as Wimbledon approaches, increasing the chances for rivals like Jannik Sinner to capture Grand Slam titles this summer [2, 5, 4]. Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski predicted Alcaraz would miss Wimbledon, noting, "With Carlos out, I don’t think Carlos is going to be back for Wimbledon this year" [6].
Alcaraz, who won Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024 but lost the 2025 final to Sinner, won the 2026 Australian Open to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam [2, 5, 7]. Over the 2026 season, prior to injury, he held a 22-3 record and won a title in Doha [4]. Medical reports suggest the wrist injury will sideline him for at least three months, ruling him out for a crucial stretch of the tennis calendar [3].
The 2026 Wimbledon Championships are scheduled from June 29 to July 12, dates Alcaraz will now miss [6]. He said he will continue working toward a return to competition as soon as possible [1].
