Carlos Alcaraz has announced that he won’t be playing at Wimbledon this year as he continues to recover from a wrist problem. The two-time SW19 champion has been dealing with the injury since mid-April and has already pulled out of the French Open, which starts later this month. He had initially been expected to make his return on grass at Queen’s Club before playing at Wimbledon shortly afterwards.
However, the 23-year-old has now confirmed that he will miss both tournaments, with his recovery not progressing as quickly as hoped. It means Alcaraz won’t get the opportunity to win his third Wimbledon title in four years, with Jannik Sinner now the overwhelming favourite to defend the crown he secured in 2025.
Taking to social media, 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. We’ll keep working to come back as soon as possible.”
Alcaraz’s announcement comes 41 days before the start of the Wimbledon main draw, with the Spaniard moving quickly to eliminate the possibility of a competitive return before then.
He was recently urged to skip the Grand Slam by British tennis icon Greg Rusedski, who cited Juan Martin del Potro’s wrist issues as a reason for Alcaraz to stay away.
Speaking on his podcast, he said: “We always miss Carlos, but he’s doing the right thing. Health is your wealth. He doesn’t want to be like Juan Martin Del Potro, who came back too early, too many wrist injuries.
“He never managed to fulfill his huge potential. What a great player we lost there for long periods of time. And until he [Alcaraz] is ready, he won’t be back.”
It remains to be seen when Alcaraz will finally return to the court, with the Spaniard taking plenty of time to recover properly before making his comeback.
His decision to withdraw from Wimbledon means he will only be able to win a maximum of two Grand Slam titles in 2026, having triumphed at the Australian Open back in January.
He won last year’s French Open in a thrilling five-set final against Sinner but won’t get the opportunity to defend his trophy in Paris.
Alcaraz remains well clear of third-placed Alexander Zverev in the ATP rankings, meaning he will remain in second place for the foreseeable future in spite of his injury layoff.