Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of tournament as organisers issue statement | Tennis | Sport

Carlos Alcaraz’s anticipated return to action has once again been pushed back as the world No.2 withdrew from the upcoming Cincinnati Open. Alcaraz hasn’t featured since April after picking up a wrist injury and has missed both the French Open and Wimbledon as a result.

With the US Open just around the corner, there had been hope that Alcaraz would return to action on the North American swing, with the Spaniard having looked fit and firing during his training sessions. However, barring a surprise entry into an ATP 250 event, it doesn’t look like Alcaraz will muster up any competitive tennis before the final Slam of the season starts in New York later this month.

That is, of course, assuming Alcaraz is fit enough to compete at Flushing Meadows, given his continued problem with the ongoing wrist injury. The niggle has already denied him a shot at two Grand Slam titles this year and there are growing fears it might not clear up in time for the US Open.

On his most recent withdrawal, Cincinnati Open tournament director Bob Moran said in a statement: “We ⁠know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon ‌as possible. We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”

Alcaraz is the reigning champion in Cincinnati, having taken the ATP 1000 title last year, with his biggest rival Jannik Sinner having himself pulled out ahead of the tournament. It proved a good luck charm, as Alcaraz went on to win his second US Open crown in the Big Apple a few weeks later.

Alcaraz had been continuing his recovery in Murcia, Spain, with training videos released to social media showing the seven-time Slam champion looking in good stead. But Cincinnati has just proved too soon for the 23-year-old star.

Murcian journalist German Abril Reina has closely followed Alcaraz’s return to action and explained that the decision hasn’t come out of the blue. He remarked: “It’s a carefully considered decision, it wasn’t made at the last minute. His recovery is progressing positively, but it would have been really tight for Cincinnati. The idea is to take no risks at any point, especially with the US Open approaching.”

The only option for Alcaraz to get any competitive tennis under his belt between now and the US Open would be the Winston-Salem ATP 250 event in the week leading up to Flushing Meadows. If not, it’s all eyes on the US Open, which gets underway in New York on Sunday, August 23 and runs for two weeks.