Tennis fans are enjoying the peak of the season, but Carlos Alcaraz has been deeply missed on the ATP Tour at the French Open and Wimbledon.
We have barely seen Alcaraz in the past couple of months, and his last social media update was on May 19.
Nearly two months later, we are left to wonder when he will return. Will he try to pull a Djokovic or Serena move and make his return at the US Open? Or will he play a US Open warmup tournament?
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Alcaraz is on Cincinnati Open players list
We share the news that Alcaraz is on the Cincinnati Open players list with cautious optimism. The tournament starts August 8, and he could still withdraw.
Is one tournament enough time to wipe away months of rust?
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Alcaraz is defending US Open champion
He has been sitting on the sidelines for months with his biggest 2026 achievement happening in January when he completed the career slam by winning the Australian Open.
Prior to that time, he said that he really wanted that win and would trade the rest of the year to get it. Now that he has been forced to trade part of the year, I wonder if he still feels that way.
However, he is the defending US Open champion and will want to be well prepared for the title defense. The issue with coming off injury to win a Grand Slam is having the fitness to handle best-of-five competition for a solid two weeks.
It is not impossible for Alcaraz but a tall order to defend given his 2026 injury issues. The most important thing is his long-term health, but hopefully we see him on the court often in August and September.
