Carlos Alcaraz, world number three at 23 years old, sees the light at the end of the tunnel. After an inactivity period that will have stretched to 138 days, the seven-time major champion has recovered from the injuryto his right wrist that occurred on April 14 in the first round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell against Otto Virtanen.
Alcaraz, whose initial objective was to return on August 13 at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, decided to stay in Spain and continue training. Embarking on the American venture without being able to strike the ball with full confidence would have been premature.
The tennis player added a compression sleeve to his right arm to feel more secure when hitting. It was not the first time he had opted for that solution. In the spring of 2024 he also wore the sleeve during the clay-court swing after injuring his forearm in his first training session in Monte Carlo.
The real test came this week by recreating the conditions of the United States Open during sessions with Holger Rune, which ended up lasting as long as four hours. This Thursday was the definitive test that convinced Carlitos and his team that he is fit to return to official competition. This very afternoon, he made his return official through his social media with a forceful message: “Here we go” (here we go).
Alcaraz will already be in New York at the beginning of next week to carry out top-level training with the rest of the participants in the last major. It remains to be seen whether he will sign up for the mixed doubles. The organizers, led by Craig Tiley, are keeping one of the three remaining wild cards for him.
The tennis player from El Palmar will thus be able to aim to retain the champion’s crown, which is worth 2,000 points. During his absence, he has been unable to defend a total of 6,130 points. Jannik Sinner, his great rival, remains doubtful due to his knee discomfort.
Seven tournaments guaranteed until the end of the season
Alcaraz, who withdrew in the round of 16 at the Godó and then missed the Mutua Madrid Open, Rome, Roland Garros, Queen”s, Wimbledon, Montreal and Cincinnati, will play a total of seven tournaments until the end of the season. His official return will be at the US Open (August 30 to September 13);
After that he will be at the Laver Cup (25 to 27); Tokyo (September 30 to October 6); Shanghai (October 7 to 18); Six Kings Slam (October 21 to 24); Paris (November 2 to 8) and the ATP Finals in Turin (November 15 to 22). He would add the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna to his roadmap if Spain defeats Chile away from home on September 19 and 20.
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