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Carlos Alcaraz has not hit a ball in competition since spring. Injured in his right wrist in April at the Barcelona tournament, the 23-year-old Spaniard had to give up defending his titles at Roland-Garros and then Wimbledon, two Grand Slam tournaments he had won in 2025. Information cross-checked by several Spanish and French media indicates that his return is now scheduled for the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, which begins on August 16 in Ohio. A bright spot in six months of a dark season.
The injury that changed everything
It was on the clay of Barcelona, at the end of April 2026, that everything changed.
It was on the clay of Barcelona, at the end of April 2026, that everything changed. Alcaraz felt a sharp pain in his right wrist, the one that generates the spin and power of his forehand, his main weapon. The diagnosis ruled out the possibility of a simple slump: the lesion was too serious to hope to compete at Roland-Garros, where he is the two-time defending champion.
On April 24, the Spaniard published a sober message: he would not defend his crown at Porte d'Auteuil. A heavy decision, validated by his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and his entire medical staff. Shortly after, his withdrawal from Wimbledon was confirmed. The London grass, the stage for his triumphs in 2024 and 2025, will not see his electric tennis this year.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the locker room. Jannik Sinner, his great rival and world number one, told TennisTemple that one must "absolutely not rush," adding that "Carlos is too important for tennis." The Spaniard's absence deprives the tour of the most vibrant rivalry since the Federer-Nadal era.
Six months of calculated patience
By giving up two Grand Slams, Alcaraz took a measured but painful risk. At 23, with seven major titles and victories on all surfaces, he could afford to look ahead. His entourage opted for radical caution: no shortcuts, no risky injections, no rushed return.
The reasoning is simple: a poorly treated wrist injury can become chronic and compromise a career. Juan Martín del Potro, whose career was ravaged by similar problems, embodies the counterexample Ferrero wants to avoid. "When it's fixed, it's fixed," Alcaraz said in May, refusing to set a schedule before being fully healed.
The medical staff built a rehabilitation protocol over several months, alternating muscle strengthening, physiotherapy, and controlled rest. The goal: to solidify the joint without sacrificing mobility, an essential parameter for a player whose forehand topspin regularly exceeds 3,500 revolutions per minute. No return date leaked before the second half of July, when Tennis-Minute revealed that Cincinnati was in the crosshairs.
The Cincinnati appointment
The Masters 1000 in Ohio will be the first test under real conditions. The fast North American surface stresses the wrist differently than clay, with more violent impacts at contact. Six months of rest have, however, according to available information, allowed complete healing. If the Spaniard passes this milestone without alarm, the US Open, scheduled from August 31 to September 13 in New York, becomes a credible goal.
Alcaraz returned to training in early July in Villena, at his personal academy. First without a racket, then with light sessions gradually intensified. The short videos released by his communication team show a sharp, smiling player whose right arm seems to have regained its natural fluidity. Caution remains the watchword, however: no decision regarding Flushing Meadows will be announced before observing how the wrist reacts to the sequence of matches in Ohio.
In Alcaraz's absence, Jannik Sinner has consolidated his place as world number one without facing opposition of the Spaniard's caliber. Their reunion on American hard courts, if it materializes as early as Cincinnati, promises to electrify a season finale waiting for its spark.