Carlos Alcaraz confirms US Open return after four-month injury absence

Carlos Alcaraz will return to competitive tennis at the US Open after more than four months out with a wrist injury.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion confirmed on Thursday that he will compete in New York, where the tournament runs from 30 August to 13 September, having not played since retiring from the Conde de Godó in Barcelona on 15 April.

"Here we go!" Alcaraz wrote on social media alongside the American flag, confirming his return after weeks of uncertainty over his recovery.

The 23-year-old had initially hoped to return at the Cincinnati Masters but opted for caution and continued training in Spain. His preparations have included lengthy sessions with Holger Rune at the Real Sociedad Club de Campo Murcia, where Alcaraz's academy is based.

The Spaniard has missed Roland Garros, Wimbledon and four Masters 1000 tournaments during his absence. His enforced break has also seen him drop from second to third in the ATP rankings after being unable to defend 6,130 points.

Alcaraz will now attempt to defend the US Open title he won in 2025. No player has successfully retained the men's singles title in New York since Roger Federer in 2008.

Jannik Sinner's participation remains uncertain because of a knee problem suffered after his Wimbledon victory. The Italian recently underwent medical tests but has yet to definitively confirm whether he will play.

Meanwhile, Malaga's Alejandro Davidovich will not compete in New York after failing to recover from a back injury sustained during his run at the ATP tournament in Umag in July.

Davidovich felt a sharp pain in his lower back during the penultimate point of his last-16 match against Marco Trungelliti. He completed the match but subsequently lost to Martin Molcan in the quarter-finals on 16 July.

The injury has now kept him out for more than a month and is expected to see him fall outside the world's top 30.

His earliest possible return could come at the ATP 250 tournament in Chengdu from 23 to 29 September, followed by events in Tokyo and Shanghai.

Davidovich began 2026 at a career-high 14th in the rankings and later won his first ATP title in Mallorca. However, his latest absence means he will also lose the 50 points he earned at last year's US Open.