The return of Carlos Alcaraz will have to wait. The 23-year-old Spanish tennis player, injured since mid-April, will not compete in the Cincinnati Masters 1000, according to the tournament’s announcement last night. Although he has been intensifying training since last week, the Murcian and his team have opted for caution and will ultimately not participate in the event taking place from the 13th to the 23rd of this month. His initial idea was to return to competition on the mentioned date, but for now, he will continue exclusively with preparation.
Alcaraz’s progress is positive, as has been seen in recent days. The player from El Palmar has increased the intensity in training sessions and hits the ball relatively normally, but for now, he will prioritize rehabilitation and will not return to the courts until he reaches the appropriate condition. He injured his right wrist on April 14, during the first-round match at the Godó against Finnish player Otto Virtanen, and since then has not been able to play any matches.
He had to miss Roland Garros and later Wimbledon, and now it remains to be seen if he will make it to the last Grand Slam of the season, the US Open (from August 30 to September 13). With the withdrawal from Cincinnati, the Spaniard continues the cautious approach that has predominated in his career, considering now that the joint injury is delicate — unspecified, but in a region especially sensitive for tennis players — and that rushing the return could lead to greater damage.
“We know that Carlos is doing everything possible to return to competing in tournaments as soon as possible,” said Cincinnati tournament director Bob Moran this Wednesday; “we wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back in the future.”
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Alcaraz, second in the ranking after Italian Jannik Sinner, began working gently in June and since then has progressively increased his daily pace. Recent images — at the Club de Campode El Palmar and the Club Arena in Alicante — show a clearly upward trend, but fans will have to wait. He will not play in Cincinnati and, therefore, will lose the 1,000 points earned a year ago, when Sinner retired in the tournament’s final due to indisposition.
Although he and his team set a series of goals and targets in the calendar, with the idea of marking necessary deadlines and outlining the return to action, he will not reappear until his body and wrist offer the minimum level and guarantees.
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