Wimbledon 2026: Alcaraz Out With Wrist Injury, Raducanu Withdraws With Stress Fracture, and Bad Bunny Watches Djokovic

[Gateway Mia]

Wimbledon 2026 opened on Monday June 29 with more than its share of drama before a ball was struck. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who had won the title in 2023 and 2024, was absent with a wrist injury sustained in April that had kept him from competitive play for more than two months. Emma Raducanu, the British 30th seed, had given a positive injury update during the week before confirming on Sunday night that a final scan had revealed a stress fracture in her right ankle. She withdrew hours before her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic, releasing a statement expressing her devastation that playing at Wimbledon in front of a home crowd means everything to me. Jack Draper withdrew before his first-round clash with Taylor Fritz due to a recurrence of his arm injury, adding further British disappointment.

Among those who did take the court, defending champion Jannik Sinner survived a scare on Centre Court to win his first-round match, reportedly hobbling after a fall during the match that drew considerable attention on the broadcast. Aryna Sabalenka, the women's top seed, had a smoother passage in her first-round straight sets victory. Novak Djokovic, seven-time Wimbledon champion seeded seventh and chasing a 25th Grand Slam title, beat Wu Yibing on Centre Court with the unexpected addition of Latin music icon Bad Bunny watching from his player box, a photograph that generated considerable social media interest.

The absence of Alcaraz from the draw changes the tournament's dynamics significantly. He had won back-to-back titles and was the odds-on favourite to dominate the top half of the draw. His withdrawal means the path for Sinner, Djokovic and others who were drawn in his half is considerably more open. The tournament runs until Sunday July 12, with today's Day 3 matches including a range of second-round encounters as the draw begins to take shape.

Wimbledon 2026 today: Live updates, news as it happened - June 29www.espn.com

[TinyCompass]

Raducanu's statement about this being really difficult to process reads honestly rather than as management speak. A stress fracture preventing you from playing your home Grand Slam is the exact kind of setback that is disproportionately painful relative to any other tournament withdrawal

[NatureBoyRyan65]

Alcaraz's absence changes the entire conversation about who wins the men's title. He was not just a favourite, he was the defending champion in back-to-back years and had become the acknowledged grass-court specialist of his generation. Without him the top half of the draw is wide open

[Nomad22]

Djokovic watching Bad Bunny watch him on Centre Court is the celebrity-sport crossover that Wimbledon occasionally produces. Bad Bunny watching Djokovic at Wimbledon is genuinely the oddest pairing of 2026 and I appreciate how much the photo confused people

[LurkingLegend]

Sinner hobbling after a fall during the match is the injury concern the tournament did not need after Alcaraz, Raducanu and Draper all withdrew before or on day one. If Sinner is managing an injury through the fortnight it changes the calculation about whether he can sustain a title run

[RedKnight]

Jack Draper versus Taylor Fritz would have been an outstanding first-round match and the arm recurrence denies us what looked like the standout contest of day one. Draper's injury problems are becoming a recurring theme that must be genuinely frustrating for him and the British tennis community

[Lewis_43]

Sabalenka moving through comfortably while the men's draw was disrupted by withdrawals is a reminder that the women's tournament is in considerably better health in terms of top-order availability and competition depth right now

[BiasField16]

Ben Shelton being knocked out in the first round as the fourth seed is the other Day 1 upset that got somewhat buried under the Raducanu and Draper withdrawals. An upset at this stage from a fourth seed is significant and opens the draw further in the bottom half