For a tennis player, the wrist is one of the most important parts of the entire movement chain. It’s the final link that transfers all the power generated from the legs, core, and shoulder into the racquet. When that breaks down, the whole body starts compensating, often putting extra strain on the elbow and shoulder, which can trigger secondary injuries like tennis elbow or rotator cuff issues.

That’s exactly why Carlos Alcaraz has chosen caution, stepping away from the grass swing to allow proper recovery. Because if a wrist injury is mishandled, it can change, or even cut short, a career. And tennis has seen that happen before. Here are five players whose careers were seriously threatened after wrist injuries.

1. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, dealt with two major wrist injuries during his career, both serious enough to disrupt his momentum at key points. The first came in 2016, when he was forced to withdraw from French Open ahead of his third-round match, cutting short his campaign on his favorite surface.

The injury kept Nadal off the tour for months before he eventually returned at the 2016 Summer Olympics. For a player whose game relied so heavily on topspin and wrist action, it was a setback that briefly put even his long-term future in doubt.

Nadal had then suffered from an inflammation on his left wrist in 2019, which resulted in him pulling out of the Shanghai Masters and the Laver Cup final.

Having gone through similar setbacks himself, Rafael Nadal understood exactly what a wrist injury can take out of a player. So after hearing about Carlos Alcaraz’s setback, Nadal shared some personal advice on how to manage the recovery, drawing from his own experience of dealing with the same kind of injury.

“I think he has made the right decisions. Taking into account that he is very young, that he has a whole career ahead of him, and that he is doing the treatment he needs to do, because it is something I know well. After all, I broke it twice, what he has broken now, or the problem he has in his wrist,” he had told RNE Deportes.

2. Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem, the former world No. 2, saw his career unravel much earlier than expected, retiring in 2024 at just 30 after a long battle with injuries. Once considered one of the defining players of his generation, Thiem’s decline began after he injured his right wrist during a match against Adrian Mannarino at the Mallorca Championships in 2021.

That injury ruled him out for the rest of the season, including the US Open, where he was due to defend his title. Although he made multiple comeback attempts, the wrist never fully responded the same way again, and over time, it became the injury that ultimately shortened his career.

In the end, even though Thiem was touted to win several Grand Slams during his career, he ended up clinching just one. There is no doubt that the broken wrist ruined his chances of playing and winning more.

3. Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios is another player whose career has been hampered a lot by physical setbacks. The Australian played just five singles matches on the tour during the 2025 season and was out of action on a regular basis due to a variety of injuries. However, it was the wrist injury that he picked up before his first-round clash at the Indian Wells Open that proved to be quite serious.

Not only did Kyrgios have to withdraw from the clash, but the injury would lead to him not playing any tournament after the Citi Open in July. He made his long return to the Brisbane International earlier this year where he played both the singles and doubles draws. Though the event didn’t prove to be a success, it was expected that Kyrgios would be regularly in action in the 2026 season.

However, all the talk about Kyrgios’ season would end after the conclusion of the Australian Open, where he played Men’s Doubles. The 31-year-old hasn’t returned to the court since the Grand Slam due to recurring injuries on his wrist and knee. It remains to be seen if he will be able to make his comeback in the coming months.

4. Kei Nishikori

The veteran ATP pro’s 2017 season had come to an abrupt end in August due to a problem in his right wrist and a tear on the tendons. Nishikori was ranked No. 9 at that time and had to miss out on the US Open because of the physical issues.

The Japanese had picked up the injury just a week before the Cincinnati Masters. The physical problems saw him miss out the entire hard-court season. Nishikori made his long return to the court in January of 2018, when he participated at the Newport Beach Challenger.

Injuries wouldn’t leave Nishikori’s shadow in the years that followed. With his rank also deteriorating severely, the 36-year-old eventually decided to announce his retirement earlier this month. He is all set to bid goodbye after spending 19 years as a pro on the ATP tour.

5. Emma Raducanu

The British No. 1 has suffered a series of wrist injuries throughout her career. She had first sustained the setback during the 2022 season. It had forced her to withdraw from tournaments like the Billie Jean King Cup and the Transylvania Open.

Raducanu had then picked up injuries on both of her hands during the 2023 season, which culminated on surgeries in both wrists in May. These injuries resulted in her missing a significant part of the WTA tour, including the French Open and Wimbledon.

The issues with her right wrist wouldn’t end until the 2025 Wimbledon. Having formed a pair with Andy Murray, Raducanu had to withdraw from the mixed doubles draw altogether due to stiffness in her wrist. She also failed to make it far in the singles draw and got eliminated by Lulu Sun in the R16.