Carlos Alcaraz’s agonising decision throws his US Open comeback plan into doubt
Carlos Alcaraz appeared to be making good progress in his attempts to make a comeback to tennis this month, but his hopes of playing at the US Open have been thrown into doubt after he was forced to pull out of next week’s Cincinnati Masters.
Alcaraz has not played a competitive match since injuring his wrist in the Barcelona Open clay court event in April.
He was forced to pull out of his defence of the French Open and Wimbledon with the problem, but stated his intention to make a comeback in Cincinnati, where he is the defending champion.
The reigning US Open champion posted images of him hitting balls with more ferocity in recent days and that raised hopes that he may be able to return imminently.
Yet an announcement from Cincinnati Open chiefs late on Tuesday ended those hopes, as they released a statement.
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“Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open,” read the official statement. “Wishing all the best to our 2025 champion in his recovery process. Can’t wait to welcome you next year!”
Tournament director Bob Moran added his comments on the news as he said: “We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible.”
“We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”
Alcaraz will now have a big decision to make over whether he attempts to compete at the US Open, where he will have 2,000 ranking points to defend after his win against Jannik Sinner in last year’s final at Flushing Meadows.
Tellingly, Alcaraz’s name has not been added to the growing list of players who will be competing in the mixed doubles event the week before the main draw at the US Open.
So it remains to be seen whether Alcaraz will have a chance to play in New York or whether he will have to postpone his return from what is clearly a serious wrist problem.
Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has stated his belief that Alcaraz will only play at the US Open if he proves his fitness in the Cincinnati Open.
“To have any chance to play at the US Open, he’s gotta play Cincinnati,” he declared on the edition of his Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.
“If he doesn’t play Cincinnati, we know the US Open isn’t gonna happen and he’s been away from the game for very, very long time.
“He’s got to be smart with it because the fact he’s got to get his volume up to a certain level and you don’t want to rush it back too much.
“The 12-day event in Cincinnati might actually help him because the fact that he can have a few more breaks in between matches, but this is still a huge question mark.
“It’s not like you’re playing a two-out-of-three major. So for the women’s, it’s a little bit easier because when you go into the majors, it’s like a regular week with a guaranteed day off every week is two out of three sets. To make the jump up to three out of five sets is tough for the men.”
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