Wimbledon 2026: Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from tournament with wrist injury

Alcaraz started the year by winning his first Australian Open title and becoming the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

He was looking to go further in 2026 but will now miss the entire grass-court season, along with the bulk of his clay-court hitting.

Alcaraz was scheduled to play at two-time winners Queen’s before Wimbledon kicks off on June 29.

He is now set to lose even more ground in the rankings to Italy’s Sinner, who replaced him last month and has won the last six Masters 1,000 tournaments, including three in the last five weeks.

The last nine men’s major singles titles have been split between Alcaraz and Sinner, with the Spaniard winning five of them.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Wimbledon also opens the draw and boosts Sinner’s title hopes given his recent dominance on the ATP Tour.

However, after a tiring few months, the 24-year-old Italian said he would not play on grass courts during Wimbledon preparations.

Wrist injuries pose a huge problem for tennis players, especially if not managed properly, and Alcaraz has previously said he does not want to cause further damage for “future tournaments”.

Before announcing his decision to withdraw from the French Open at the Laureus Awards in April, he said: “I have a very long career ahead of me and many more years to come.

“Forcing things at Roland Garros could really hurt me for future tournaments.”

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem will retire at the end of 2024 after his career was derailed by a wrist injury, while Juan Martin del Potro also suffered an ankle problem after winning his only major title at the 2009 US Open.