Carlos Alcaraz is nearing his much-anticipated comeback to the tour after being sidelined for several months with a wrist injury.
Alcaraz is targeting a return at the Cincinnati Open, the second ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the North American hard-court swing, where he is the defending champion.
The Spaniard has not played since the Barcelona Open in April and has had to withdraw from Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Who has more Wimbledon titles by 2036 between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?
They have 2 each right now…
With Alcaraz having missed out on two majors, French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev has leapfrogged him in the ATP rankings to become the new world number two.
Many greats of the game have seen their careers derailed because of wrist injuries; most notably Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem.
While there is no guarantee Alcaraz will avoid such horror stories, former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek is ‘not concerned’ at all about the 23-year-old’s future.
Richard Krajicek discusses Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury
In an interview with Tennis 365, Krajicek said of Alcaraz’s injury: “There hasn’t been too much information.
“They’re much tougher injuries — these wrist or elbow injuries. I had an elbow injury myself. It’s really difficult to reset when you start playing again [after this type injury].
“So, you hit a little bit… You need to go step by step. It’s not as clear-cut as tearing the ligaments in your ankle, which they say is three or four months, and it’s always three or four months, and then you can play again.
Is men’s tennis boring without Carlos Alcaraz?
“So yeah, it takes a bit of time, but he’s young, and I think he’s got good healing power. I’m not concerned that he will play, and I’m not concerned that he’s going to return to his full form.
“But it’s a question of when. Is it gonna be for the hard courts [in North America]? Is it gonna be for the indoors? But still, I think it’s going to be this year.”
With the conclusion of the grass and clay swings, the rest of the 2026 tennis season will be played on hard court, with the final stretch played indoors.
Jannik Sinner’s success during Carlos Alcaraz’s injury setback
During Alcaraz’s time on the sidelines, his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, has continued his stellar 2026 season.
The last tournament both Sinner and Alcaraz appeared in was the Monte Carlo Masters, where the Italian beat him in the final to hoist his third Masters title of the year.
Sinner then went on to win both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open to continue his incredible streak at Masters 1000 level.
At Roland Garros, the world number one’s campaign was ended early in the second round when beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo amid physical struggles.
But Sinner bounced back at Wimbledon to complete the second successful Grand Slam title defence of his career and clinch a fifth major crown.
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