Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of Cincinnati Open, comeback delayed

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, removing the world No. 2 from the ATP Masters 1000 event and pausing his intended return to competitive tennis. Tournament organisers said he will not feature in the event where he was due to defend the title he won last year.

Neither Alcaraz nor his team publicly disclosed a reason for the withdrawal, which came days before the hard-court tournament was due to start. Cincinnati Open tournament director Bob Moran said: "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." The decision removes a high-profile preparation opportunity in the lead-up to the US Open.

Alcaraz has not played since sustaining a right wrist injury during the Barcelona Open in April. That setback forced him to miss several big events, including the Madrid Open, Italian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

In recent weeks there had been signs his recovery was progressing: the seven-time Grand Slam champion posted videos and photographs of himself back on the practice courts, and Spanish media reported his absence from the Canadian Open was part of a carefully managed recovery rather than a fresh setback. Those developments had raised expectations that Cincinnati might mark his return to the ATP Tour.

Skipping Cincinnati denies Alcaraz a chance to test his fitness and regain match sharpness ahead of the year’s final Grand Slam. As the defending champion in Cincinnati he would also have had the opportunity to protect ATP ranking points while building momentum before his US Open title defence.

This season Alcaraz won the Australian Open and, according to the report, became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam; the wrist injury interrupted that run and kept him out of competition for nearly four months. The enforced absence has altered his schedule at a crucial point in the hard-court season.

With Cincinnati removed from his calendar, attention will turn to whether he can secure competitive match practice before the US Open, which begins on August 30. The ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem, starting on August 23, remains his final potential tune-up, and Alcaraz is still entered for the US Open.