Carlos Alcaraz has announced that he has been forced to pull out of this year’s Wimbledon due to a wrist problem.
The 23-year-old – who claimed the Wimbledon title in both 2023 and 2024 – has been out of action after suffering the injury during his Barcelona Open first-round victory over Otto Virtanen last month.
The ongoing pain in Alcaraz’s right wrist meant he also had to withdraw from the French Open, where he is the two-time defending champion having prevailed for a second time 12 months ago.
In a brief statement shared on his social media pages, the Spaniard, currently ranked number two in the world, said he would be working hard to get back on the court ‘as soon as possible’.
‘My recovery is going well and I feel much better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to be able to play, and that’s why I have to withdraw from the grass-court season at Queen’s and Wimbledon,’ Alcaraz wrote.
‘They are two really special tournaments for me and I’ll miss them a lot.
‘We keep working to return as soon as possible!’
Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to clinch his opening Wimbledon title three years ago, in what was the third-longest final in the history of the championships at four hours and 42 minutes.
He successfully defended his crown in a rematch against Djokovic a year later, crushing the Serbian great in straight sets – 6–2, 6–2, 7–6 – at SW19.
Jannik Sinner ended Alcaraz’s stranglehold on Wimbledon in last year’s final and enters this year’s tournament as the bookmakers’ favourite to come out on top for a second time.
The setback will come as a devastating blow to Alcaraz, who enjoyed a dream start to 2026 by winning his maiden Australian Open title, becoming the youngest-ever player to complete a Career Grand Slam in the process.
Sinner leapfrogged Alcaraz in the men’s rankings last month and will no doubt be looking to continue his dominance over the rest of the field during his rival’s absence on both grass and clay.
‘I think most important is to say that first of all, tennis needs Carlos,’ Sinner said when asked about Alcaraz’s injury setback following his second-round win over Benjamin Bonzi in Madrid last week.
‘Tennis is a much better sport when he’s around.’
Sinner said he was glad to see Alcaraz taking a cautious approach with his recovery and backed the Spaniard to return a ‘stronger’ competitor.
‘I do believe he’s going to come back stronger than before, but injury is always tough, especially wrist,’ the Italian added.
‘There are certain areas of our body that are very sensitive, and the wrist, we saw with all the players in the past, can complicate our lives.
‘So I hope he’s going to come back and he will not have any further injuries.’
This year’s Wimbledon will be take place over the course of 14 days from June 29 through to July 12.
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