After pulling out of two Grand Slam tournaments, Carlos Alcaraz has shown up on the US Open 2026 entry list. The Spaniard has entered the fourth month of his rehab after sustaining a wrist injury during his Barcelona Open run in April.
As the Spaniard prepares for the North American swing, former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs has shared her thoughts on his recovery and expected return.
Carlos Alcaraz Expected To Resume His Campaign in Cincinnati
Alcaraz has been forced to miss a significant portion of his 2026 season due to inflammation of the tendon sheath in his right wrist. After initially withdrawing from the claycourt swing, which included the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open, he extended his absence to grass courts by missing the Queen’s Club Championships and Wimbledon.
His withdrawals have already cost him 4,800 ranking points, leaving him with a daunting challenge heading into the US Open swing, where he has another 3,000 points to defend as the reigning champion in Cincinnati and New York.
The Spaniard has been omitted from the Canadian Open entry list but remains on the entry list for the Cincinnati Open. Even so, Stubbs believes there is still considerable uncertainty surrounding the timeline for his return.
“The word on the street is he is going to try and play Cincinnati. If that’s the case – if, if, if. I can’t imagine he goes back to Spain,” Stubbs said on the recent episode of the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
Alcaraz recently attended the FIFA World Cup Final in the United States, but he has since reportedly returned to Spain. According to Stubbs, the move is unideal ahead of his return to the Cincinnati Open, which begins on August 11.
“I would imagine that he would probably center himself here on a hard court somewhere and practice before Cincinnati, but it will be a great relief to tennis fans around the world to see him back playing in Cincinnati.”
Carlos Alcaraz is officially on the US Open entry list 🙏🏽🍀🍀 pic.twitter.com/peknjnPY1j
— f #7inMelbourne (@fvaeey) July 21, 2026
In his latest training update, Carlos Alcaraz was seen doing some light work on the practice court. However, the low intensity of the session did little to convince the tennis community of his fast-approaching return. Stubbs disclosed that she had shared her personal experience with the 23-year-old at the end of June.
“One of the things that I did write to him was that I did have a wrist injury for seven months. And I said, please take your time because it’s not an injury you want to sort of [expletive] around with. And if it’s sore in any way, you shouldn’t even try and play anymore.”
The Australian icon, however, believes Alcaraz’s physical fitness should not be a concern when he makes his return. “Maybe he’s taking his time, and it’s probably a good idea. But if not, I mean, his fitness will be good because you can do anything you want with a wrist injury to a certain degree.”
“He’s not going to be lifting anything above his head, but certainly his legs will have been worked hard. So physically you should be okay. But getting back on the tennis court and hitting tennis balls is really the predominant thing that he needs to do,” she said.
MORE: ‘Don’t Come Up and Shake My Hand’ – Andy Roddick Shares His Theory on Carlos Alcaraz’s Wrist Guard
Alcaraz has slipped to No. 3 in the rankings following his extended absence, with Alexander Zverev replacing him as the World No. 2. The Spaniard also risks increasing the gap, with more ranking points to defend than any other player during the North American hardcourt swing.
