Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of French Open 2026 with right wrist injury

Tennis world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will not defend his French Open title at this year's tournament after tests revealed he would not recover in time from a lingering right wrist injury.

Alcaraz, 22, won the 2025 French Open by beating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a come-from-behind five-set victory in a marathon contest that lasted five hours and 29 minutes.

Alcaraz’s participation at the 24 May-7 June French Open had been in doubt after the Spaniard also withdrew from the Barcelona Open and skipped the Madrid Open, the tune-up events to the clay-court major.

This week, as he was named the Sportsman of the Year at the 2026 Laureus Awards, Alcaraz was spotted at the gala, wearing a brace on his right wrist.

On Friday (24 April), he confirmed the injury will force him to miss the Italian Open in Rome followed by the clay-court major in Paris.

"After the results of the tests carried out today, we have decided that the most prudent thing to do is to be cautious and not participate in Rome or Roland-Garros as we wait to evaluate the progress so we can decide when to return to the court," Alcaraz said in a post on Instagram on Friday (24 April).

"This is a difficult time for me, but I am sure we will come out of it stronger."

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