Carlos Alcaraz’s long-awaited return to competitive tennis has been put on hold after the Spaniard withdrew from the Cincinnati Open, raising fresh questions over his preparations for the US Open later this month.
Tournament organisers confirmed on Tuesday that the world No. 2 will not feature in the ATP Masters 1000 event, where he was due to defend the title he won last year. However, neither Alcaraz nor his team publicly disclosed the reason behind the withdrawal.
The decision comes just days before the hard-court tournament begins and leaves the 23-year-old without a competitive match since April, despite recent signs that his comeback was nearing.
“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. “We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”
COMEBACK ON HOLD
Alcaraz has not played since suffering a right wrist injury during the Barcelona Open in April, a setback that forced him to miss several major events, including the Madrid Open, Italian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
In recent weeks, however, optimism had been building around his return. The seven-time Grand Slam champion shared videos and photographs of himself back on the practice courts, while Spanish media reported that his absence from the Canadian Open was part of a carefully managed recovery programme rather than a fresh setback.
That had fuelled expectations that Cincinnati would mark his return to the ATP Tour. Instead, the Spaniard has opted to skip one of the biggest lead-up events to the US Open, although no official reason has been given for the decision.
The withdrawal means Alcaraz misses a valuable opportunity to test his fitness and regain match sharpness before the year’s final Grand Slam.
US OPEN PREP TAKES A HIT
Cincinnati represented more than just another tournament for Alcaraz. As the defending champion, he was set to protect crucial ATP ranking points while also building momentum ahead of his US Open title defence.
The Spaniard enjoyed a sensational start to the season by winning the Australian Open, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. However, his momentum was halted by the wrist injury, keeping him out of competition for nearly four months.
With Cincinnati now off his schedule, attention will turn to whether Alcaraz can secure competitive match practice before the US Open begins on August 30. The ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem, which starts on August 23, remains his final potential tune-up, although he has not indicated whether he plans to participate.
For now, Alcaraz remains entered for the US Open, but his withdrawal from Cincinnati means he will head into the final stretch before Flushing Meadows with more questions than answers surrounding his fitness and readiness to defend one of the sport’s biggest titles.
– Ends
