The wait is finally over for tennis fans, with Carlos Alcaraz confirming his return to competition in New York later this month. After spending four and a half months on the sidelines with a right wrist injury, the Spaniard is ready to take on the challenge of defending his US Open title.
Alcaraz broke the news with a three-word message on Instagram, sending the tennis world into a frenzy.
Carlos Alcaraz Confirms US Open 2026 Participation
Alcaraz last took the court at the Barcelona Open in mid-April, where he sustained a wrist injury during his first-round victory. Following a diagnosis of tendon sheath inflammation, the Spaniard brought his clay-court season to an early end. He subsequently withdrew from the grass-court swing and only stepped up the intensity of his training in July.
With match fitness still a concern in August, Alcaraz was forced to pull out of the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open. Both tournaments would have offered the seven-time Grand Slam champion a valuable opportunity to regain his rhythm and build momentum ahead of his US Open title defense.
While fans and experts alike had questioned the prospect of Carlos Alcaraz making his comeback directly at Flushing Meadows, his decision to enter the US Open suggests that he feels ready for the demands of the American summer and the challenge of the best-of-five-set format.
Recent reports from Murcia, Alcaraz’s hometown, indicate that the Spaniard has been putting in extended training sessions lasting three to four hours in heat-index conditions reaching 40°C (104°F). He also trained with Holger Rune this week and won a recent practice set in a tiebreak.
“Here We Go,” Alcaraz’s shared post with soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano read.
Carlos Alcaraz will play the US Open 2026! pic.twitter.com/zzFDDUk7MF
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 20, 2026
“Tears of Joy right now. I feel like I have been in tennis desert these past month,” one fan wrote on X.
“Wow, thought he would be back next year. Glad he’s back,” another fan said.
“Great news, I hope Sinner will play US Open as well,” a user chimed in.
“FINALLYYY sincaraz finals pls come back to me,” one fan added.
“This is real and it’s not a dream,” another user quipped.
Alcaraz has the task of defending 2,000 ranking points at the US Open as the reigning champion. He is set to drop to World No. 3 next week when the points he earned as the 2025 Cincinnati Open champion come off his ranking. The 23-year-old could also miss out on a top-two seeding in New York, with Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev both in contention to compete at the tournament.
Sinner, the World No. 1, has cast doubt over his US Open participation in recent weeks after withdrawing from the Cincinnati Open with knee discomfort. The Italian has undergone multiple physical examinations and therapy sessions as he works his way back to full fitness. However, he has yet to confirm whether he will compete in New York.
