Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open as he continues his recovery from a wrist injury, dealing a major blow to his preparations for the defence of his US Open title. The world number two has not played a competitive match since pulling out of the Barcelona Open in April, and the Cincinnati organisers confirmed that “an ongoing wrist injury” will keep the 23-year-old Spaniard out of the Ohio Masters 1000 event, which begins on 11 August.
The announcement is the latest setback in what has become the longest injury layoff of Alcaraz’s career. The two-time Wimbledon champion has already missed the French Open and Wimbledon this season, and with the US Open starting at Flushing Meadows on 30 August, his status for the season’s final Grand Slam is now in serious doubt.
Alcaraz out of Cincinnati: what we know
Alcaraz was due to return to action in Cincinnati as part of his preparation for the US Open, having won the Ohio event in 2025. Instead, tournament organisers announced that the injury — first sustained in Barcelona in April — has not healed sufficiently for him to compete.
“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.”
— Bob Moran, Cincinnati Open tournament director
The withdrawal extends Alcaraz’s spell on the sidelines to more than 114 days without a competitive match. His last completed match came in the opening round of the Barcelona Open in April, when he beat a qualifier in visible discomfort before withdrawing ahead of the following round. For a portion of his layoff he was reportedly unable to use a racket at all.
The rise that made him the sport’s biggest draw
It is a measure of how far Alcaraz has come that a four-month absence feels so seismic. Just seven months ago, in January 2026, he walked off the court at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne having completed the career Grand Slam at the age of 22 — the youngest era of his generation to own all four major titles at once. His victim in that Australian Open final was Novak Djokovic, the man whose all-time records Alcaraz is widely expected to chase.
That Melbourne triumph was his seventh Grand Slam title and his third in the most recent four majors. A few months earlier, at the 2025 US Open, he had dismantled Jannik Sinner — the only man ranked above him — in what many observers described as the most impressive performance of his career to date. Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner have reshaped men’s tennis into a two-man rivalry that has dominated the sport since 2024.
Alcaraz’s strike rate has been extraordinary: an average of two Grand Slam titles per year since his breakthrough. At that pace, he would draw level with Djokovic’s all-time record of 24 majors by 2034 — when he would still only be 31.
A wrist injury that won’t go away
So why has this injury proved so stubborn? Alcaraz has been diagnosed with tenosynovitis — a painful inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds the tendon on the inside of the wrist. The condition is typically caused by repetitive movements such as gripping and swinging a racket, and it can produce swelling and ongoing tenderness that makes training almost impossible.
Recovery times vary enormously. Minor cases can resolve within weeks with rest, but more severe cases require significant physiotherapy and, in the worst instances, surgery — with return-to-play timelines stretching to a year. Alcaraz has not undergone surgery, but his latest withdrawal means he will pass four months out of competition.
The wrist is arguably the most injury-sensitive joint in tennis. It plays a central role in every contact between racket and ball: the way the wrist rolls through a shot helps generate power, while its dexterity is vital for delicate touches such as the drop shots that have become an Alcaraz trademark. Compounding the problem is anatomy — the wrist has little muscle surrounding its bones and tendons, which makes rebuilding strength slow and recovery times hard to predict.
“They’re much tougher injuries. It’s really difficult to reset when you start playing again [after this type of injury]. You need to go step by step. It’s not as clear-cut as tearing the ligaments in your ankle, which takes three or four months and then you can play again.”
— Richard Krajicek, 1996 Wimbledon champion
Why wrist injuries are different
The history of the men’s game is littered with cautionary tales. Grand Slam champions Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro both suffered recurring wrist problems throughout their careers, and both ultimately retired with the injury as a contributing factor. The psychological toll is just as significant as the physical one: once a player has felt sharp pain in the joint that controls so much of their technique, trusting it fully again can be the hardest part of all.
“Wrists aren’t easy. When the ball is low you know you really have to use your wrist to get the ball up and down… It’s difficult when you try to come back, because the pain that you feel when you initially hurt it, mentally it’s very difficult to let go of.”
— Andy Murray, three-time Grand Slam champion
Some medical experts believe wrist problems are becoming more common at the top of the sport. James Ross, a physiotherapist who works with players at Grand Slams and other tournaments, points to a combination of factors: modern rackets and strings send the ball through the court with more force, demanding more from the wrist to absorb and redirect it; the tour schedule is more gruelling than ever; and even the balls change between tournaments, forcing the body to adapt constantly. The rise of the double-handed backhand — with the dominant hand doing much of the work — has also increased strain on the joint.
What it means for the US Open
With Cincinnati now off the table, Alcaraz’s preparation for the US Open has effectively evaporated. He was spotted training in Murcia earlier this week — sporting the longer hair he has grown during his absence — and his first practice sessions reportedly involved swinging a stringless racket before progressing back to the real thing. That is a sign of progress, but a competitive return is still at least a few weeks away.
The realistic scenarios are stark: at best, Alcaraz would carry almost five months of rust into the US Open; at worst, he won’t be able to play at all — making it three consecutive missed Grand Slams. His absence would reshape the men’s draw in New York, with Sinner installed as the overwhelming favourite and a chasing pack including the likes of Alexander Zverev and the in-form British contingent eyeing an open draw.
There is, however, a counter-argument for patience. With wrist injuries, waiting longer can be the difference between a full recovery and a chronic, recurring problem. As Ross notes, the single biggest risk factor for a future wrist injury is having had one before — and the pressure of rankings points, prize money and expectation can tempt players back too soon.
“The wrist doesn’t get great blood supply and it doesn’t heal very quickly. It takes real time to build strength in it and the management is very complex… You can feel amazing and then get a setback, and it’s how you deal with that.”
— James Ross, tennis physiotherapist
A layoff the modern greats never had
What makes this spell so unusual is how rarely the other members of Alcaraz’s era have been sidelined. Roger Federer did not miss two consecutive Grand Slams until he was 38 and well beyond his physical prime. Rafael Nadal missed two majors when he was 26, but the second of those absences was due to illness rather than injury. Novak Djokovic has never missed more than a single Grand Slam in his entire career, while Sinner has played in every major since his debut in 2019.
Alcaraz, by contrast, is on course to miss three. The good news is that his body of work at just 23 — seven majors, a career Grand Slam, and a winning record against every rival of his generation — means he has time on his side. The challenge now is not talent or ambition, but patience: letting the wrist heal fully so that this nightmare season becomes a footnote rather than a turning point.
Key takeaways
- Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open (starts 11 August) due to an ongoing wrist injury, ruling him out of his planned comeback event.
- The world number two has not played a competitive match since April, missing the French Open and Wimbledon — more than 114 days on the sidelines.
- His diagnosis is tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tendon sheath in the wrist; he has not had surgery but has been unable to use a racket for part of his recovery.
- The US Open begins on 30 August, and Alcaraz’s defence of his 2025 title is in serious doubt — he would arrive with almost five months of rust at best, or miss a third consecutive major at worst.
- Wrist injuries ended the careers of Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro, and experts warn that rushing back risks a chronic, recurring problem.
- Alcaraz won the Australian Open in January to complete the career Grand Slam at 22, his seventh major — and was averaging two Grand Slam titles a year before this setback.
Sources: BBC Sport match reports and analysis (August 2026).
