Alexander Blockx suddenly withdraws from Roland Garros after freak accident during practice involving covers: "Heard a snap in my ankle"
ATPWednesday, 27 May 2026 at 09:34
Alexander Blockx will not play later today at the French Open as the World No.37 announced his withdrawal on Tuesday less than 24 hours before he was due to face eighth seed Alex de Minaur on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Blockx initially wrote on his Instagram before changing the caption that he sprained his ankle due to the 'really necessary' covers at the back of the court at Roland Garros and that he was frustrated but then soon changed it shortly afterwards.
So a bit of a freak accident for Blockx, who said he felt a snap in his ankle and was later seen hobbling around on one leg after spraining his ankle during practice, in what is a crushing blow for one of the real breakout stars of the past month.
Blockx quickly changes caption amid blaming covers
Blockx reached the semi-finals in Madrid and the last 16 of Monte-Carlo, where he lost to De Minaur. He beat Coleman Wong in his opening match and now has to deal with not being able to fulfill his clay court potential this season and potentially a stint on the sidelines. This is an incident that no doubt Roland Garros has to learn from, as one of the top stars has managed to hurt himself in what could have been quite a preventative measure.
Roland Garros announced that Blockx had withdrawn on Tuesday: “Alexander Blockx has withdrawn from his second round match, Alex de Minaur is therefore through to the third round. Wishing you a speedy recovery Alex.”
This was later confirmed by Blockx who spoke about the freak accident which saw him withdraw. “Unfortunately during today’s practice i heard a snap in my ankle while i sprained it, which is why i had to withdraw from tomorrow’s match that i was really looking forward to. A lot of frustration but we move on,” Blockx wrote on Instagram hours after it was announced.
De Minaur who directly benefited showed his class though and wrote: “So sorry to hear mate. Wishing a very speedy recovery.”
Alexander Blockx was seen hopping on one leg on the Roland Garros grounds
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 26, 2026
He injured his ankle during a practice sesh with Fonseca
He withdrew from the tournament earlier today
Very sad to see this after how well he's been playing 💔
(h/t @dodshka) pic.twitter.com/totaCVzGFY
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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