Carlos Alcaraz won’t return to defend his French Open title in 2026.
Taking to social media, Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the French Open.
How worried are you about Carlos Alcaraz’s injury?
Carlos Alcaraz will miss Rome and Roland Garros…
Shortly after, Roland Garros shared the following message.
Roland Garros wish Carlos Alcaraz ‘all the best’ in his recovery from injury
“Some heartbreaking news as Carlos Alcaraz, our 2024 and 2025 champion, will not be able to defend his title at Roland-Garros 2026 due to a wrist injury,” they wrote on X.
“Wishing you all the best in your recovery, Carlos. We’ll miss you!”
The world number two hasn’t been seen on court since the Barcelona Open, where Alcaraz injured his wrist during a win over Otto Virtanen.
Alcaraz pulled out of Barcelona the day after, and subsequently withdrew from the Madrid Open.
Appearing at the Laureus Sports Awards in Madrid, Alcaraz explained that he was awaiting further tests before making any decisions about his participation in Rome or Roland Garros.
Having now decided to skip both events, it appears that the injury is as serious as many feared…
Alcaraz will hope to return in time for the grass-court season, but as of right now, nothing is certain.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, missing the Italian Open and the French Open, he will drop 3,000 points from his current total.
Therefore, when he returns, he will do so with a mountain to climb in the race for world number one.
ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Points defending in Rome/Paris |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 13,350 | 1,950 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,960 | 3,000 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,255 | 600 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,710 | 800 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,100 | 10 |
But Alcaraz won’t want to concern himself with his ranking; instead, he must focus on his recovery.
Wrist injuries are not to be taken lightly and have brought several careers to a premature close.
Just ask Dominic Thiem, who was forced to retire from tennis at 31, failing to recover from a long-term wrist injury.
We hope that Alcaraz will fully recover from his injury and return to winning ways before too long.
Only two former champions remain in the French Open draw
With Alcaraz out, only two former champions will compete at this year’s French Open: Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic.
2015 champion Wawrinka has been given a wild card into this year’s French Open draw, but is unlikely to challenge for the title.
The 41-year-old is retiring at the end of the year and has only won a handful of matches in 2026.
Djokovic, on the other hand, has his eye on a record-extending 25th Grand Slam.
Since winning his 24th major at the 2023 US Open, the Serb has been beaten time and time again by Sinner and Alcaraz.
With Alcaraz out of the picture, perhaps this is his best chance to win another Grand Slam title.
There are, of course, other players who will look to take advantage of Alcaraz’s absence.
World number three Alexander Zverev still hasn’t won a Grand Slam title, despite reaching three major finals.
Having lost to Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open final, he must now be thinking this is his year.
Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils are two more names worth mentioning.
The Italian was excellent on clay in 2025, reaching the semi-finals of all four ‘big’ tournaments.
And since returning from injury, Fils has established himself as a genuine contender on tour.
He has already made the most of Alcaraz’s injury once this year, winning the title in Barcelona… Can he do it again in Paris? Only time will tell.
With the French Open turned on its head, you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the tournament begins on Sunday, May 24.
