Tennis fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. World No. 3 and seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz is officially planning his highly anticipated return to the ATP Tour next month at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. After a devastating four-month absence that completely derailed his season, the 23-year-old Spaniard is ready to step back onto the court.
According to a report in the Spanish newspaper La Verdad, Alcaraz’s right wrist is now “completely healed”. The Cincinnati Open, running from August 13-23, will serve as his single warm-up event to shake off any competitive rust before he launches the defense of his U.S. Open crown in New York on August 24.
How did Carlos Alcaraz get injured?
The nightmare began back on April 14 during the Barcelona Open. While fighting his way through a victory against Finland’s Otto Virtanen, Alcaraz suffered severe inflammation of a tendon in his right wrist.
The pain forced the Spanish superstar to withdraw from his very next scheduled match against Tomas Machac. What was initially hoped to be a short recovery quickly turned into a long, frustrating spell on the sidelines, forcing his team to prioritise long-term safety over a rushed, risky comeback.
Which major tournaments did Alcaraz miss?
The timing of the tendon injury could not have been worse, striking right as the tennis calendar shifted into its most prestigious stretch. Because of the prolonged recovery process, Alcaraz was forced to completely sit out the entire European clay and grass-court seasons.
His withdrawals included:
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The Madrid Open and Rome Masters
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Roland Garros (French Open): Where he was the reigning two-time defending champion
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Wimbledon: Forcing him to watch from afar as his chief rival, Jannik Sinner, captured the grass-court Major title
To ensure he enters the final Grand Slam at 100% health, Alcaraz has also already withdrawn from the upcoming Canadian Open in Montreal, electing to make Cincinnati his lone hard-court stepping stone.
Alcaraz already has withdrawn from the Canadian Open, which is played just prior to the Cincinnati Open that runs Aug. 13-23. The U.S. Open begins full-field play on Aug. 24.
Alcaraz, 23, triumphed in Cincinnati and New York last year. He defeated Jannik Sinner in both events, the former when the current World No. 1 retired from illness while trailing 5-0 in the first set.
In addition to Alcaraz and Sinner, new world No. 2 Alexander Zverev and all other top 20 players in the ATP rankings are slated to play in Cincinnati.
Seventh-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia owns three titles in Cincinnati, winning in 2018, 2020 and 2023. No. 8 Danill Medvedev, from Russia, won in 2019 and Sinner captured the 2024 championship.
(With inputs from Reuters)
