Wimbledon 2026: Alcaraz out through injury, Shelton stunned by qualifier in major first-round shocks
The 2026 Wimbledon draw has already been shaken by Carlos Alcaraz's pre-tournament withdrawal and the first-round exit of 4th seed Ben Shelton, beaten in five sets by world No. 140 qualifier Otto Virtanen.
Wimbledon 2026 has already been defined by two seismic events before the end of round one — one that happened before the tournament started, and one that unfolded in a tiebreak for the ages on day two.
Alcaraz: the biggest absence
Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion (2023, 2024), withdrew from Wimbledon on May 19 with tenosynovitis in his right wrist, an injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April. The Spaniard had already missed Rome and the French Open — where he was also the defending champion — making this a devastating spell of absence for one of the sport's biggest draws.
Shelton stunned in five
Fourth seed Ben Shelton — the top-ranked American in the draw — was knocked out in one of the most dramatic first-round matches in recent memory. Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen (world No. 140) defeated Shelton 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8), 2-6, 7-6(9) after recovering from 5-8 down in the fifth-set tiebreak. Shelton called it one of the toughest losses of his career.
Virtanen makes Finnish history
Virtanen became the first Finnish man to defeat a top-5 seed at a grand slam in the Open Era — having entered the day 0-3 against top-10 players. His name is now etched into Wimbledon history alongside the giants of the game.
