Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
Alcaraz made the announcement on Tuesday, explaining that his wrist injury will not have recovered in time to compete during the grass-court swing.
Is it time to start panicking about Carlos Alcaraz?
He's out of another Grand Slam…
Around 17 years ago, Rafael Nadal suffered a similar fate.
Nadal defeated Roger Federer in a historic 2008 Wimbledon final, defeating the five-time defending champion 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7.
A year later, Nadal was unable to defend his Wimbledon title.
What did Rafael Nadal achieve after returning from injury?
In June 2009, Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon.
The Spaniard withdrew from the event due to a knee injury – specifically tendinitis.
Nadal became only the fourth man in the modern era not to defend his title at the All England Club.
After spending the best part of three months on the sidelines, Nadal made his long-awaited return at the 2009 Canadian Open.
The Spaniard reached the quarter-final stage before losing to future US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.
As a result, Nadal was overtaken by Andy Murray in the ATP rankings, leaving the top two for the first time since 25 July 2005.
Del Potro proved to be Nadal’s nemesis just two months later.
| Grand Slam | Years Nadal won |
| Australian Open | 2009, 2022 |
|---|---|
| French Open | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 |
| Wimbledon | 2008, 2010 |
| US Open | 20010, 2013, 2017, 2019 |
Nadal defeated Gael Monfils and Fernando Gonzalez en route to the semi-finals, before losing to Del Potro in straight sets.
Del Potro went on to win the title, beating Roger Federer in the final.
Later that year, Nadal competed in the ATP Finals, where he lost all three of his round-robin matches.
Nadal ended the season on a high, helping Spain secure a 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic in the 2009 Davis Cup final.
In 2010, Nadal left his 2009 injury troubles in the past, claiming his second Wimbledon title with victory against Tomas Berdych in the final.
Rafael Nadal described withdrawing from the 2009 Wimbledon Championships as one of the ‘toughest decisions’ of his career
“I am not 100 per cent,” Nadal told reporters, as per CNN. “I don’t feel I am ready to approach a tournament as important as Wimbledon. I have decided that I just cannot play this tournament this year.
“I tried everything, I worked very hard in the last weeks to arrive here in the best condition. Friday was the last test and although I didn’t feel terrible I was not close to my best.
“When I enter a tournament like Wimbledon I want to try to win but my feeling right now is that I am not ready to win. Not playing Wimbledon was one of the toughest decisions of my career. But the situation makes the decision a little bit easier.
“It is tough but at the same time, I have no option. I don’t feel ready to compete at 100 per cent for two weeks. I have played with some problems on the knees for the last few months. Now I am going to be out for some time but I don’t know how long.
“I arrived at one of the most important moments in the year in my worst condition. I had physical problems in two of the most important tournaments for me — Roland Garros and Wimbledon — so it is tough to accept for me.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
“I am going to work very hard to come back as soon as possible and when I do, I want to come back 100 per cent right both mentally and physically.”
