Alcaraz Skips Wimbledon: Grass Season Cancelled Over Wrist Injury

Carlos Alcaraz announced today on Instagram that he will not play Queen's or Wimbledon 2026 as he continues his recovery from the right wrist injury. The Spaniard, world No. 2 in the ATP ranking, thus skips the entire grass-court season after already pulling out of Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

"My recovery is going well and I feel much better, but unfortunately I am not yet ready to compete, which is why I have to withdraw from the grass-court season at Queen's and Wimbledon," Alcaraz wrote in his message. "They are two truly special tournaments for me and I will miss them a lot. We will keep working to come back as soon as possible."

The problem dates back to the first round of the Barcelona Open, on April 14, when the wrist gave way already during the match he won against Otto Virtanen 6-4, 6-2. Alcaraz then withdrew before his match with Tomas Machac, calling the injury "more serious than any of us expected." From there, a cascade of withdrawals emptied his spring clay swing.

The sporting cost is heavy. Alcaraz had won Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, beating Djokovic in both finals, before handing the crown to Jannik Sinner in the 2025 final. Skipping grass means giving up the defense of the points he accumulated in London and leaving Sinner, already back at No. 1 after Monte Carlo, months of advantage in the race for the top of the ranking.

It remains to be seen when we will see the Spaniard back on court. There are no dates in the message, only the promise to return "as soon as possible": a cautious wording that tells, more than anything else, how much time this wrist is asking for.