Carlos Alcaraz Confirms US Open Return After Four Months Out
Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed he will return to competition at the US Open, ending an absence of more than four months caused by a right wrist injury.
The 23-year-old announced the news on Thursday through his social media accounts and in a joint Instagram post with football transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, borrowing Romano's familiar catchphrase to deliver it. Alcaraz posted a short clip saying "Here we go" alongside a US Open image, with Romano's caption confirming the Spaniard would return to the tour in New York.
Four Months on the Sidelines
Alcaraz has not played a competitive match since mid-April, when he withdrew from the Barcelona Open after winning his opening match. The injury was later reported as tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tissue surrounding a tendon in his right wrist.
Speaking at the time, Alcaraz said his wrist had given way after a return during the match and that the discomfort worsened as play went on. Tests indicated a more significant problem than expected, and he said he needed to listen to his body to avoid longer-term consequences.
The layoff cost him a substantial portion of the season. He missed Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros, Queen's Club and Wimbledon, along with the North American hard-court events in Toronto and Cincinnati. That included the defence of his French Open title and two Grand Slams in total.
Until this year, Alcaraz had missed only one Grand Slam since his main-draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open, sitting out Melbourne in 2023 with a hamstring problem. He has retained his world number two ranking throughout the absence, having reclaimed the position from Alexander Zverev, who had moved ahead of him after Wimbledon.
No Warm-Up Matches
Alcaraz had originally targeted Cincinnati for his comeback, having won the title there last year, but opted to give the wrist further recovery time. He has been building his workload in recent weeks, training in Murcia including sessions against Denmark's Holger Rune to test the injury at higher intensity.
The decision means he will arrive at Flushing Meadows without a single competitive warm-up match, defending a title he won last year by beating Jannik Sinner in four sets in the final. Alcaraz also won the tournament in 2022, his first Grand Slam title, becoming the youngest man to hold the world number one ranking at 19 years of age.
Before the injury he had made a strong start to the season, winning the Australian Open and his following tournament as part of a 22-3 record.
Sinner Also Managing an Injury
Alcaraz is not the only leading player carrying a fitness concern into the final Grand Slam of the year. World number one Sinner, who won Wimbledon earlier this summer for his fifth major title, withdrew from Cincinnati with a right knee injury, leaving the tournament without either of the sport's two dominant young players.
The main singles draws begin on 30 August, with the tournament running to 13 September. Organisers have announced a total prize fund of $108 million, the largest in the sport's history and a 20 percent increase for the second consecutive year, with each singles champion receiving $5.5 million.
