Valentin Vacherot‘s dazzling semifinal run at Monte Carlo promised a breakthrough clay-court campaign, but the months that followed never quite unfolded the way he had envisioned. His clay-court Slam journey ended on a bitter note, as injury forced him to hand Alejandro Tabilo a walkover, leaving unfinished business in Paris. Now, with the grass-court swing gathering pace and SW19 looming large, the setback feels even more cruel as recurring fitness concerns continue to cast a shadow over the Monegasque player’s rising career.

Vacherot confirmed he will not be competing at Wimbledon 2026 as his injury concerns had become too serious to ignore. “Officially, it’s a stress fracture with significant bone edema. I started feeling it at the end of Madrid, which is why I didn’t play Rome and Hamburg before Roland to try to take as much time as possible to heal,” Prime Video France quoted him as saying (translated from French).

Since the injury did not improve as he had hoped, Vacherot admitted, “The grass, it’s dead. Wimbledon, it’s dead. If I’m back on the match courts in a month and a half, I’ll take it as a reset to arrive fresh for this second part of the season.”

Vacherot’s withdrawal from the All-England Club comes only weeks after his painful exit from Roland Garros. The 16th seed at Paris and the first Monegasque player to be seeded at a Grand Slam event had to withdraw because of a left-foot injury.

Before withdrawing, Vacherot had battled through his opening-round match against French qualifier Thomas Faurel. During that match, the 27-year-old called for the trainer and fought through the discomfort. By the time it finished, he was close to tears.

Looking back now, Vacherot’s comments to the media appear to have foreshadowed what was coming. “It’s not perfect, but not awful,” he said after winning against Faurel. “Just got to take care of it.”

Vacherot also spoke honestly about the pattern of injuries he has experienced throughout his career: “The thing is, when I am actually injured, it is quite a big one. Very rarely do I have a small pain or inconvenience that goes after a week.”

The issue with Vacherot’s foot had not suddenly appeared in Paris. “It was at the end of Madrid. I felt somewhat uncomfortable, and it happens often, and then it becomes a bit more uncomfortable than it was before,” he explained in his pre-tournament press conference in Paris.

Now, as Vacherot prepares for an extended period away from the court because of injury, he joins a growing list of players who will have to watch SW19 from the sidelines rather than compete on the sport’s most iconic stage.

Valentin Vacherot joins Spaniard on this year’s SW19 withdrawal list

Carlos Alcaraz, the current world No. 2, injured his right wrist during his first-round victory at the Barcelona Open. He has not played tennis since mid-April.

The setback forced Alcaraz to miss several important events on the clay-court swing, as he was subsequently ruled out of the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.

Initially, Alcaraz was optimistic about his chances of returning for the All-England Club; however, after consulting multiple specialists, he withdrew from this year’s tournament.

Beyond Vacherot and Carlitos, concerns continue to surround several other ATP stars. With SW19 scheduled to begin on Monday, June 29, uncertainty still hangs over parts of the field.

Lorenzo Musetti missed Roland Garros because of a left thigh injury. Meanwhile, a left hip injury prevented Frenchman Arthur Fils from competing at his home Grand Slam.

As things stand, Musetti and Fils haven’t officially confirmed their respective returns to action at the grass-court swing.

2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini appeared to be building momentum after reaching the QF at Roland Garros. However, his campaign ended abruptly when he retired mid-match against Matteo Arnaldi because of a hip injury.

With the list of concerns for the ATP stars continuing to grow before this year’s Wimbledon, only time will tell how many names alongside Vacherot and Carlos ultimately end up watching from the sidelines.