Alcaraz withdraws from Cincinnati, US Open comeback in doubt
Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Cincinnati due to a lingering wrist injury, disrupting his season. With no match play since April, this setback casts significant doubt on his US Open preparation, where he is the defending champion.
Carlos Alcaraz, 2026 | © Tennis Australia
Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open, organisers confirmed on Tuesday, as a lingering wrist injury continues to disrupt the defending US Open champion’s season.
“We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible,” said tournament director Bob Moran. “We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”
The Spaniard has not played a competitive match since injuring the wrist at the Barcelona Open in April. The problem has already cost him a huge chunk of the year: he sat out Roland-Garros and the entire grass-court swing, Wimbledon included, and Cincinnati – the last big hard-court event before Flushing Meadows – had been earmarked as the ideal launchpad for his comeback. Instead, the 23-year-old’s return is delayed once more.
The timing is especially cruel because the signs had been encouraging. Alcaraz has recently been sharing videos of himself back on the practice court, hitting with real intensity, fuelling hopes of a return. But a wrist injury, for a player whose game is built on wrist-heavy spin and shot-making, is not to be rushed.
It leaves one pressing question hanging over the season’s final Grand Slam: can Alcaraz contest the US Open, which he won a year ago, with no preparation tournament and no match play since April?
The Cincinnati Open begins on Saturday 8 August with Community Weekend and runs through to the singles finals on Sunday 23 August.
