Carlos Alcaraz Confirms US Open Return After Wrist Injury Recovery

Carlos Alcaraz will return to Flushing Meadows to defend his US Open crown after confirming that he has recovered from the wrist injury that has kept him away from competitive tennis for four months.

“I’m back,” the Spaniard said in a video posted on social media. “Here we go.”

The announcement comes after a lengthy spell on the sidelines that began with his withdrawal from the Barcelona Open in April. Alcaraz was subsequently forced to miss tournaments in Madrid and Rome before pulling out of the French Open and Wimbledon.

His absence was particularly significant at Roland Garros, where he had entered the tournament as the two-time defending champion. The decision to withdraw from the French major came around a month before the tournament, while his Wimbledon exit was confirmed almost six weeks before the Championships began.

The injury has reportedly been diagnosed as tenosynovitis, a condition involving inflammation around a tendon sheath. Alcaraz's camp has offered limited public detail throughout his recovery.

His planned comeback at the Cincinnati hard-court tournament raised hopes that he would get valuable match time before New York. Instead, he withdrew from Cincinnati, leaving his participation at the US Open uncertain.

Those concerns eased this week when images emerged of Alcaraz playing practice sets with ATP rival Holger Rune. Now the US Open title defence is officially on.

The Spaniard arrives at the tournament with plenty to prove after an interrupted season. He won the Doha hard-court title in February and then completed his career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, becoming the youngest man to achieve the feat at 22.

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner has continued to strengthen his position at the top of the men's game. The Italian won Wimbledon for a second straight year, beating French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the final.

Sinner has already made clear that he wants the rivalry with Alcaraz back on court.

“We hope that Carlos is coming back … because tennis needs him,” Sinner said after his Wimbledon triumph.

Alcaraz has also regained the No. 2 position in the world rankings after briefly falling behind Zverev following Wimbledon.

Now comes the bigger test. Carlos Alcaraz US Open plans are no longer a question mark, but his match sharpness after such a long layoff will be closely watched when the tournament begins.

For a player who has rarely missed a Grand Slam since entering the main draw in 2021, the return carries plenty of weight. His US Open title defence will offer the first real measure of where his game stands after four months away.