Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open as he continues to recover from a right wrist injury, extending his absence from the ATP Tour and casting further doubt over his participation in this month’s US Open.
The ATP Masters 1000 tournament announced on Tuesday that the defending champion would not compete in this year’s edition as he continues his rehabilitation.
“We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible,” 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.”
The withdrawal marks another setback in a season disrupted by injury. Since his last competitive match at the Barcelona Open in April, the Spaniard has missed the Madrid Open, the Italian Open and the French Open before sitting out the entire grass-court season, including Wimbledon. He had already withdrawn from this week’s Montreal Open, making Cincinnati the second ATP Masters 1000 event of the North American hard-court swing that he will miss.
Despite the latest setback, Alcaraz has shown encouraging signs in recent weeks. Videos shared on his social media accounts show the 23-year-old back training at full intensity, fueling speculation that his return to competition may not be far away. The timing of that comeback, however, remains uncertain.
Alcaraz enjoyed a strong start to the season by winning the Australian Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final to complete the career Grand Slam and claim his seventh major title. Since then, however, the wrist injury has kept him out of two Grand Slam tournaments where he has enjoyed considerable success, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
His withdrawal from Cincinnati has also raised fresh questions over his participation in the US Open, where he is the defending champion. Although the world No. 2 remains on the tournament’s entry list, he has not confirmed whether he will compete.
The season’s final Grand Slam begins on August 30, leaving Alcaraz and his team with only a few weeks to decide whether he will be fit enough to return, especially given the gruelling nature of Grand Slam best-of-five matches compared with regular ATP Tour events, which could place significant strain on his recovering wrist after more than four months without competitive match play.
Whether the Spaniard makes his comeback in New York or waits until later in the season should become clearer in the coming weeks.
