Carlos Alcaraz confirms US Open return after four-month injury layoff

What the report says

Carlos Alcaraz will return to competitive tennis at the US Open after more than four months away because of a wrist injury, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday. The Spanish star said he intends to defend his title at the New York tournament, scheduled for August 30 to September 13, after withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in April and sitting out several major events.

According to the report, Alcaraz missed the French Open, Wimbledon, and the hard-court tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati while he recovered. He had originally hoped to return in Cincinnati, where he won last year, but chose to delay his comeback to allow more time for rehabilitation. He has since increased his training load and recently practised in Murcia with Denmark’s Holger Rune as he tested the injury under heavier conditions.

The US Open carries special significance for Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title there in 2022 and became the youngest player to reach world No. 1 in the ATP rankings. He is also a seven-time Grand Slam champion and had briefly fallen behind Alexander Zverev in the rankings while sidelined before moving back up to No. 2. The injury absence is notable because, until this year, he had missed only one major since his 2021 main-draw debut at the Australian Open.