Carlos Alcaraz returns at US Open but cannot reclaim world No. 1 ranking

Carlos Alcaraz announced his return on August 31, 2026, posting "Here we go," alongside a photo of himself in front of the US Open logo as he prepared to play at the tournament. A post shared by Fabrizio Romano (@fabriziorom).

Alcaraz’s comeback follows a layoff that began after his title run in Barcelona in April, caused by a right wrist injury that kept him out of much of the clay swing and the grass season. He was ruled out of Roland Garros, where he was defending 2,000 points as the 2025 champion, and missed Wimbledon, which cost him 1,300 points. He also missed most Masters 1000 events on clay (including the Madrid Open and Italian Open), Queen’s Club where he had 500 points to defend as the champion, and Cincinnati where another 1,000 points were dropped because he could not return to retain his title, and has slipped to No. 3 with 7,160 points.

Jannik Sinner confirmed his absence from the New York event, withdrawing on July 21 due to a right knee injury that has kept him sidelined since retaining his Wimbledon crown and ended his streak of never missing a major since his 2019 debut. As last year’s US Open runner-up to Alcaraz, Sinner is set to lose 1,300 points regardless of his withdrawal.

The article records Sinner as currently sitting on 12,800 points and states that even after losing 1,300 points for skipping the Slam he would remain well clear of the field. Another passage in the same piece says Sinner has 11,500 points despite pulling out, a total the article also presents as being out of Alcaraz’s reach.

Alexander Zverev is identified as the ATP No. 2; the piece notes he crashed out in the third round last year and has less than 100 points to defend. Like Sinner, Zverev “sits on 7.700 points prior to the start of the 2026 US Open,” and the article says that combination means Alcaraz cannot overtake the German for second place.

The report states Alcaraz’s ceiling at the tournament is his own 7,160 points because he can only defend the title rather than add to his total. It adds that even if Zverev bowed out in the opening round and Alcaraz defended his US Open crown, the Spaniard would still be unable to move into the top two positions.

So, no, the Spaniard won’t be able to reclaim the World No. 1 rank even if he defends his title. Alcaraz enters the US Open ranked third in the ATP standings, behind Jannik Sinner (#1) and Alexander Zverev (#2).