Why is Carlos Alcaraz not playing Wimbledon?

Wimbledon will be a quieter place this year without the talents of two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old Spaniard is not playing this year’s tournament as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.

Alcaraz initially made the decision to skip the defence of his French Open title after withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in April due to pain in his right wrist.

He then confirmed he would be missing the entire grass-court season, with a possible return planned ahead of the US Open later this summer.

But given the severity of wrist injuries for tennis players and the dangers of developing long-term conditions, Alcaraz has taken a patient approach to his recovery.

While he has not undergone surgery, the seven-time grand slam champion and world No 2 has spent several weeks with his wrist immobilised in a cast.

Alcaraz is reportedly dealing with inflammation in his wrist tendons, which has likely developed from the stress that comes from repeatedly hitting forehands with top-spin.

Former US Open champions Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin del Porto both had their careers derailed by wrist injuries – so Alcaraz is right to be cautious.

The Spaniard won his two Wimbledon titles by beating Novak Djokovic in both finals, dethroning the Serbian in a five-set epic in 2023 before defending his title with a destruction in 2024.

Last year, in his third consecutive Wimbledon final appearance, Alcaraz lost to rival Jannik Sinner in four sets. It was his first defeat in a grand slam final and came just weeks after beating Sinner to win Roland Garros.

This season, Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career grand slam when he beat Djokovic to win the Australian Open for the first time.

With Alcaraz absent from the French Open, No 2 seed Alexander Zverev triumphed at the end of a chaotic tournament to win his first grand slam title.

Despite ranked No 3 in the world, Zverev will become the second seed for Wimbledon, with defending champion Sinner returning as the top seed.