Queen’s suffers another blow as former Grand Slam semi-finalist withdraws from men’s event

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The 2026 Queen’s Club Championships men’s singles draw has been ravaged by mass withdrawals.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz was the first top player to withdraw from Queen’s due to the wrist injury he picked up in Barcelona.

Is it time to start panicking about Carlos Alcaraz?

He's out of another Grand Slam…

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Valentin Vacherot and Jack Draper have also been forced to skip the event, reducing the star power in the draw.

Unfortunately for the Queen’s tournament organisers, another big name has now pulled out.

Lorenzo Musetti withdraws from the 2026 Queen’s Club Championships

As first reported by ‘Spazio Tennis‘, two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist and former Queen’s Club finalist, Lorenzo Musetti, has withdrawn from this year’s tournament.

“Lorenzo [Musetti] and his team are working to speed up his recovery, but his return will have to be delayed by a few more weeks,” they wrote.

Musetti hasn’t been seen on court since the Italian Open, where he suffered a thigh injury that forced him out of Roland Garros.

His fellow Italian, Luciano Darderi, is also set to miss the tournament, as he recovers from tonsil surgery in Argentina.

With Musetti and Darderi joining the long list of withdrawals, there are now just three top-20 players in the draw.

2026 Queen’s Club Championships men’s singles draw

• [1] Alex de Minaur – ATP #6
• [2] Jiri Lehecka – ATP #12
• [3] Jakub Mensik – ATP #17
• [4] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – ATP #22
• [5] Rafael Jodar – ATP #23
• [6] Arthur Rinderknech – ATP #24
• [7] Francisco Cerundolo – ATP #27
• [8] Tommy Paul – ATP #28

Queen’s has been won by some of the sport’s best players over the years, including Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.

To see such a weak line-up at one of tennis’ most prestigious events is disappointing, to say the least.

Alex de Minaur, Jiri Lehecka, and co, will entertain those in attendance and would be worthy champions, but they don’t offer the same appeal as the aforementioned Grand Slam stars.

The bigger worry for Queen’s is just how strong their rival event, the Halle Open, looks.

Halle is played the same week as Queen’s and is also an ATP 500 tournament.

This year, six top 10 players are heading to Halle, while only one is expected in London.

2026 Halle Open men’s singles draw

• [1] Alexander Zverev – ATP #3
• [2] Felix Auger-Aliassime – ATP #4
• [3] Ben Shelton – ATP #5
• [4] Daniil Medvedev – ATP #8
• [5] Taylor Fritz – ATP #9
• [6] Flavio Cobolli – ATP #10
• [7] Alexander Bublik – ATP #11
• [8] Andrey Rublev – ATP #13

With that in mind, the eyes of the tennis world will likely be on Halle, not Queen’s, next week…

Lorenzo Musetti’s decision proves Taylor Fritz has made a mistake

The big names will be playing at the Halle Open this week, but seeing the field in London, they might regret their choices.

For example, Taylor Fritz, one of the world’s best grass-court players, decided to play Halle over Queen’s this year, following his first-round exit in 2025.

Had he picked Queen’s again, he would surely have been a clear favourite to clinch this year’s title, but in a strong Halle field, his path to glory is far trickier.

After a slow start to the season, Fritz needs to perform on grass, and could do with 500 points.

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If Fritz fails to deliver the goods on his favourite surface this year, he stands little to no chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals.

That’s why every decision, including those related to his schedule, is so important.

He may have preferred to play Queen’s, although there is a counter-argument that would suggest playing tougher opposition will have him better prepared for Wimbledon.

A string of hard-fought three-set wins against the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev might do him more good than a dominant title campaign at Queen’s against lower-ranked opponents.

Fritz won’t want to worry about any of that now, though, as he turns his attention to the Stuttgart Open.

The 28-year-old will play Martin Landaluce in the first round on Wednesday, June 11.