What began as a dream year for Carlos Alcaraz, with a victory in Melbourne that completed his Career Grand Slam, has now turned into a point of concern, as just a few months later, the Spaniard has announced that, along with missing the upcoming French Open, he will be out for the entire grass-court season.
The World No.1 confirmed he will not compete at Queen’s or Wimbledon as he continues his recovery from ongoing wrist issues.
Carlos Alcaraz: Strong Start to 2026 Before Injury Strikes
Entering the 2026 season on the back of his career-best year in 2025, Alcaraz started where he left off, as the then World No.1 won the Australian Open title. He followed that up with a title run in Doha as well, which ended with one of his most dominant performances in the final.
But then things changed on court for the Spaniard, as he once again had an under-par Sunshine Double. While he followed it up with a final run in Monte Carlo, it was his hometown tournament of Barcelona where disaster struck for the Spaniard, as in his first match, he tweaked his wrist. A retirement from the tournament followed shortly, and a couple of days later, it was announced that not only would the Spaniard miss his hometown Masters in Madrid, but he would also miss the rest of the clay swing.
Carlos Alcaraz Confirms Full Grass Season Withdrawal
Now, he has confirmed that the setback extends further, as he will also miss the entire grass swing. Taking to social media, Alcaraz said:
“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 swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon. They are two really special tournaments for me, and I’ll miss them a lot. We keep working to return as soon as possible!”
Both Queen’s and Wimbledon hold special significance for Alcaraz, who has already won both tournaments twice in his career. While he has expressed optimism about his recovery, his withdrawal from a major tournament more than a month away suggests the wrist issue may be more serious than initially expected. When he first withdrew from the French Open, there was hope he could return during the grass season. That is no longer the case.
What This Means for His Season
This announcement also begs the question of whether Alcaraz will return to a tennis court at all this year, with the delicacy of a wrist injury being a particularly sensitive matter in tennis over the years. And while many, including Alcaraz’s idol, Rafael Nadal, bounced back from a similar injury and went on to win multiple Major titles, others, such as Dominic Thiem, did not have the same fate, as they could never quite rediscover their form from before the injury.
Crucially for Alcaraz, it looks like he and his team have adopted a rest-and-precaution strategy over coming back early, which in theory should bode well for the World No.2. When he returns and has no limitations regarding his wrist, getting back into the title column will only be a matter of time for what is already one of the greatest talents tennis has ever seen.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
