The wait to see the Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz back in action gets prolonged as the World No.3 has now withdrawn from the upcoming Cincinnati Open, the last major tuneup tournament before the U.S. Open. The 23-year-old, seven-time Grand Slam champion, has been recovering from a right wrist injury for over three months. While Alcaraz was expected to compete in the Masters 1000 event starting August 13 and even shared practice videos recently taking full swings, he is not yet ready to return to tournament play.
Carlos Alcaraz Back To World No.2 Ranking
The injury timeline dates back to the spring. Alcaraz suffered inflammation of a tendon in his right wrist on April 14 during his victory over Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open. After withdrawing from his next match, he missed the entire clay and grass court seasons, which forced him to sit out the French Open and Wimbledon. Earlier this week, he also skipped the National Bank Open in Canada.
“We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible,” Cincinnati Open tournament director Bob Moran said in a statement on Tuesday. “We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”
A point to be noted by fans is that despite his time away from the court, Alcaraz has moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 in the world rankings due to a calendar quirk. He is the defending champion in Cincinnati, having won last year’s title when World No. 1 Jannik Sinner retired from the final due to illness while trailing 5-0 in the first set.
Who else has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open 2026?
Alcaraz is not the only player missing from the hard-court tournament. Several other notable players on both the ATP and WTA tours have been forced to pull out ahead of the main draw.
On the men’s side, Alexander Bublik, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and American standout Sebastian Korda have all officially withdrawn and will be replaced in the draw. Additionally, Britain’s Jack Draper returned into action at the Canadian Open but lost the opener against Terence Atmane, hampered by his elbow injury. His participation in Cincinnati remains in doubt.
The women’s draw has also seen some early exits. Emma Raducanu has withdrawn as she continues to recover from a stress fracture, also choosing to skip the U.S. Open. Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste are also out due to ongoing knee injuries, while Lois Boisson gave up her spot and was replaced by Kamilla Rakhimova.
Cincinnati Open Withdrawals List So Far (August 5, 2026):
Men’s Singles (ATP):
- Carlos Alcaraz (replaced by Mattia Bellucci)
- Alexander Bublik (replaced by Marton Fucsovics)
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (replaced by Adam Walton)
- Sebastian Korda (replaced by Valentin Royer)
Women’s Singles (WTA):
- Emma Raducanu
- Victoria Mboko
- Lois Boisson (replaced by Kamilla Rakhimova)
- Hailey Baptiste
- Jacqueline Cristian (replaced by Maria Timofeeva)
(With inputs from Reuters)
