Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to injury.
Failing to recover in time for the grass-court season, Alcaraz issued the following statement on Instagram.
“My recovery is going well, and I’m feeling much better, but unfortunately, I’m still not ready to compete, which is why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen’s and Wimbledon. They are two truly special tournaments for me, and I will miss them a lot. We’ll keep working to come back as soon as possible!” said Alcaraz.
Is it time to start panicking about Carlos Alcaraz?
He's out of another Grand Slam…
With Alcaraz missing Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic now has an important decision to make, which could determine whether he wins a 25th Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic should withdraw from Roland Garros to prepare for Wimbledon
Many fans have accepted that Djokovic’s chances of winning another Grand Slam are slim when competing against Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
But many also agree that with one of the two missing, his chances improve tenfold.
Now, you could argue that Djokovic has two golden opportunities to win a major, at the French Open and Wimbledon.
However, with Djokovic turning 39 in a couple of days, it’s really not that simple.
The risk of injury is simply too high not to prioritise a specific event.
And if Djokovic is to prioritise one of the two Grand Slams, he would likely choose Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam record
| Grand Slam | Titles | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | 10 | 104-11 | 90% |
| French Open | 3 | 101-17 | 86% |
| Wimbledon | 7 | 102-13 | 89% |
| US Open | 4 | 95-15 | 86% |
The Serb has won seven titles and 89% of his matches at SW19, compared to three titles and 86% of his matches in Paris.
It may be an unpopular decision, but if Djokovic wants to maximise his chances of winning Wimbledon, he shouldn’t play the French Open beforehand.
Clay is arguably the most physically demanding of the three main surfaces, and the risks of injury shouldn’t be understated.
And it’s not like Djokovic is in French Open-winning form either.
Yes, it’s Djokovic, and form matters to him less than perhaps any other player in tennis history, but he’s played only one match on clay this year, which he lost.
- 2026 Italian Open 2R – Dino Prizmic defeated Novak Djokovic, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
The world number four lost to Croatia’s Dino Prizmic in his Rome opener and looked to be struggling physically as early as the second set.
Skipping Roland Garros, Djokovic could immediately switch to grass courts, beginning his Wimbledon preparations two weeks earlier than his rivals.
Would two weeks extra rest and preparation be enough to see Djokovic take the title away from Sinner?
Who knows, but surely it’s worth a try!
Why Novak Djokovic might not choose to skip Roland Garros
The French Open has already lost one of the sport’s biggest names from this year’s line-up.
They will do anything they can to keep Djokovic from withdrawing.
Djokovic, too, may not want to skip the event.
In the bigger picture, prioritising Wimbledon over the French Open makes sense, but that’s taking emotion out of it.
Edging closer to 40, Djokovic himself has admitted he doesn’t know how many more years he has left on tour, and any opportunity to play a Grand Slam is a blessing.
To skip a tournament he’s won three times and miss the opportunity to say goodbye, perhaps for the final time, would be heartbreaking.
After all, Djokovic said the following after losing to Sinner in last year’s semi-finals.
“I mean, this could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don’t know. That’s why I was a bit more emotional even in the end,” he said.
“But if this was the farewell match of the Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.
“I don’t know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career. You know, I going to keep on keeping on, yes.”
Fit enough to play on Court Philippe Chatrier again, would Djokovic pass up that opportunity for a better chance of winning Wimbledon?
Only he can answer that question.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Djokovic, but it will certainly be interesting to see if he makes an announcement over the coming days.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
