Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed that he will return to competitive tennis at the US Open 2026 after spending four months on the sidelines with a wrist injury.
The 23-year-old Spanish star will return to New York to defend his title at the tournament, which will be held from Aug 30 to Sep 13.
“HERE WE GO!” Alcaraz wrote in an X post on Thursday and confirmed his participation.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has not played a competitive match since April. He suffered the wrist injury during the Barcelona Open and was forced to withdraw from the tournament. The injury also kept him out of the French Open, Wimbledon and the hard-court events in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Alcaraz won his second US Open title last year after defeating Jannik Sinner in the final and later went on to win the Australian Open.
Despite his long absence, Alcaraz has managed to hold on to his No. 2 position in the ATP rankings.
Meanwhile, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has also been out of action since winning Wimbledon. The Italian pulled out of the Cincinnati Open because of a right knee injury, putting his fitness for the US Open under doubt.
The Cincinnati Open confirmed Sinner’s withdrawal on its official X account, meaning the tournament missed both of the sport’s leading young stars, Sinner and his biggest rival, Alcaraz.
“Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open due to a right knee injury. Wishing all the best to our 2024 champion, and can’t wait to see you again next year!,” posted the tournament’s official handle.
Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open. At 19, he also became the youngest player in history to reach the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.