Alcaraz withdraws from Roland Garros with wrist injury; will not defend title

Carlos Alcaraz said on April 24 that he would miss Roland Garros and remain out at least until June because of a right wrist injury, removing the defending men’s champion from the Paris draw. The Roland Garros website said the Spaniard, a two-time defending champion in Paris, had been forced to withdraw after also skipping Madrid. ATP Tour coverage said Alcaraz’s decision also ended his 2026 clay season and left him unable to defend titles in both Rome and Paris. ### When did Alcaraz pull out, and what did he say? April 24 was the date of Alcaraz’s announcement, which came after tests on his wrist and followed earlier withdrawals from Barcelona and Madrid. Roland Garros quoted Alcaraz as saying “the most prudent thing to do” was not to play Rome or Roland Garros while he waited to evaluate his recovery. (rolandgarros.com) The ATP Tour said Alcaraz had suffered the wrist injury earlier in April and entered the decision as World No. 2. ATP Tour coverage also said he owned a 22-3 record for the season at the time of the withdrawal. ### How much did this cost him in the rankings race? ATP Tour reporting said Alcaraz was defending 1,000 ranking points in Rome and 2,000 at Roland Garros after winning both events in 2025. (rolandgarros.com) The same report said he trailed Jannik Sinner by 390 points in the PIF ATP Rankings after losing to the Italian in the Monte-Carlo final. Those numbers made the withdrawal significant for the rankings battle because Alcaraz could not protect the points from his clay-court titles. (atptour.com) ATP Tour did not say who would benefit directly, but the loss of the defending champion changed the points on offer in Paris for the rest of the field. ### Which other men’s contenders are already out of Paris? (atptour.com) Lorenzo Musetti said on May 13 that he would miss Roland Garros and Hamburg after medical tests found a rectus femoris injury. ATP Tour said the Italian sustained the injury during his fourth-round loss to Casper Ruud in Rome. Jack Draper announced on April 29 that he would not play Roland Garros on medical advice as he recovered from a knee problem. (atptour.com) ATP Tour said the British left-hander had played only five tour-level events in 2026 and had also withdrawn from Madrid, Rome and Hamburg. Holger Rune said on May 11 that he had withdrawn from Hamburg and Roland Garros as he continued to recover from an Achilles injury suffered in Stockholm last October. (atptour.com) ATP Tour said Rune planned to delay his return until the grass-court season in June. ### How has the draw already changed? Roland Garros updated its wildcard announcement on May 13 to say Musetti’s withdrawal moved Stan Wawrinka directly into the main draw. (atptour.com) The tournament said the wildcard that had been assigned to Wawrinka was then reallocated to French player Clément Tabur. The Roland Garros site listed the 2026 main-draw dates as May 24 to June 7, with qualifying scheduled for May 18 to May 22. (atptour.com) Those dates mean further late withdrawals or replacements would come as the tournament finalizes the field in Paris. ### What comes next before play starts in Paris? May 24 is the scheduled start of the Roland Garros main draw, according to the tournament’s official site. (rolandgarros.com) The event said updated entry information, wildcard allocations and draw changes would appear through its 2026 tournament coverage as the field is finalized for Paris.