Carlos Alcaraz will miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon due to injury.
The Spaniard injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open and hasn’t played a match since.
Is it time to start panicking about Carlos Alcaraz?
He's out of another Grand Slam…
His countryman, Rafael Nadal, has now reacted to Alcaraz’s decision to withdraw from Wimbledon and given some insight into the injury.
Rafael Nadal thinks Carlos Alcaraz will ‘recover 100%’ from his wrist injury
Appearing as a guest on ‘Quick Served with Andy Roddick‘, Nadal delivered his verdict on Alcaraz’s injury.
“For Carlos [Alcaraz], now he is feeling that he lost two Grand Slams and a couple of Masters 1000s, it’s a tough moment,” he said.
Tournaments Carlos Alcaraz will miss due to injury
| Tournament | Tier | 2025 Performance |
| Barcelona Open | ATP 500 | Runner-up |
| Madrid Open | Masters 1000 | – |
| Italian Open | Masters 1000 | Champion |
| French Open | Grand Slam | Champion |
| Queen’s Club Championships | ATP 500 | Champion |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Runner-up |
“But the good thing is that he has an injury that he will recover [from] 100% if he does the proper things.
“And I’m sure he is doing the proper things.
“I know that very well because I had the same injury two times in my career: 2014, 2016.
“When I retired from Roland Garros in 2016, I had exactly the same injury that he has.
- 2016 French Open – Rafael Nadal withdrew before his third-round match
“So, the main thing is, he has already achieved a lot, which gives him some calm, and he will recover 100% from that, and he has plenty of years in front [of him].
“Knowing that and hearing that from someone like me, I think in some way gives you some positivity in tough moments.”
Do you think Rafael Nadal is the GOAT? 🐐
Nadal is sure that Alcaraz will recover 100% from the injury that has seen him withdraw from two major tournaments.
Only time will tell if the 22-time Grand Slam champion is proven right…
What happened to Rafael Nadal when he returned from the same injury that Carlos Alcaraz has?
Nadal withdrew from the 2016 French Open ahead of his third-round match with Marcel Granollers due to a wrist injury.
He missed several tournaments while recovering from injury, including Wimbledon.
Tournaments Rafael Nadal missed in 2016
| Tournament | Tier | 2015 Performance |
| Stuttgart Open | ATP 250 | Champion |
| Queen’s Club Championships | ATP 500 | First round |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Second round |
| German Open | ATP 500 | Champion |
Nadal returned in August at the Olympic Games in Rio.
There, he reached the semi-finals before losing to Juan Martin del Potro and Kei Nishikori, leaving Brazil without a medal in singles.
The gap between his injury in Paris and his return in Rio was 73 days.
Alcaraz is already set to endure a longer spell on the sidelines, as a 73-day recovery would have seen him return on June 26, three days before Wimbledon begins.
The 22-year-old will need to stay patient, but may feel encouraged by what Nadal achieved when he returned.
Things didn’t go to plan right away, as Nadal lost in the fourth round of the US Open and suffered early exits in Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Beijing.
But he bounced back in style when the new season began, enjoying one of the best years of his professional career.
Nadal reached three of the four Grand Slam finals in 2017, winning two majors, two Masters 1000 titles, and finishing the year ranked number one in the world.
Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam performances in 2017
- Australian Open – Runner-up
- French Open – Champion
- Wimbledon – Fourth round
- US Open – Champion
2017 ATP year-end top-10
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Rafael Nadal | Spain | 10,645 |
| 2 | Roger Federer | Switzerland | 9,605 |
| 3 | Grigor Dimitrov | Bulgaria | 5,150 |
| 4 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 4,610 |
| 5 | Dominic Thiem | Austria | 4,015 |
| 6 | Marin Cilic | Croatia | 3,805 |
| 7 | David Goffin | Belgium | 3,775 |
| 8 | Jack Sock | USA | 3,165 |
| 9 | Stan Wawrinka | Switzerland | 3,150 |
| 10 | Pablo Carreno Busta | Spain | 2,615 |
If Alcaraz is to follow in Nadal’s footsteps, he may have to stomach a tricky end to his 2026 campaign, but could be in store for some big wins in 2027.
Alcaraz will eye a return to competitive tennis on North American hard courts, ahead of the US Open in August.
