When Will Carlos Alcaraz Return: Will We See Him Again in 2027? New Clues About Jannik Sinner’s Rival
Carlos Alcaraz’s latest withdrawal from Cincinnati casts an increasingly long shadow over the Murcia native’s participation in the final Grand Slam of 2026, the U.S. Open. The former world No. 1 has been sidelined since the Barcelona tournament due to wrist problems, and after missing Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he may have to sit out his third consecutive Grand Slam—a situation that has never happened in his career.
The wrist injury is insidious and risks affecting his future: his staff is taking every necessary precaution to avoid the worst-case scenario. There’s also the possibility of taking a break until 2027 to make a full recovery from the injury. This option is now being advocated by Greg Rusedski, a former US Open finalist and now a popular commentator: “You can rule out the US Open at this point. There’s no chance he’ll play at the US Open if he’s skipped the Cincinnati tournament,” he stated on his podcast.
“I was wondering a bit where he stood when we saw him training over the last few days, but he seemed to be doing pretty well—his movement, his stroke, his new haircut. Everything seemed to be going great. Then this news comes out. If it were just a minor inflammation, a minor issue, he’d already be back. It’s something a bit more serious. We don’t know if he’s broken anything, if there’s something else going on, or if he’s had minor surgery. Who knows what happened?”
“It’s taking much longer than expected; I think they should take all the time they need, even if it means he has to sit out the rest of the year and then start over in 2027.” The challenges of a wrist injury were also highlighted by former world No. 1 Andy Murray in a recent interview: “It’s difficult when you’re trying to recover from a wrist injury, because the pain you feel at the moment of the injury is mentally very hard to overcome.”
According to rumors leaked from Spain and reported by the newspaper ‘La Verdad’, Alcaraz reportedly requested a wild card to participate in the ATP 250 in Winston-Salem, scheduled for August 22–29, with the intention of using the tournament as a test run ahead of the U.S. Open. However, sources close to the tennis player’s entourage quickly dampened the enthusiasm, clarifying that his withdrawal from Cincinnati was not due to a relapse but solely to the recovery program agreed upon with the medical staff. The most concerning detail to emerge from these reports pertains to the Spaniard’s current physical condition: Alcaraz is said to have recovered only 55% of his peak form, while his team has set a minimum threshold of 85–90% before authorizing any return to competition.
