Carlos Alcaraz will defend his U.S. Open title after four-month injury absence

Alcaraz had initially targeted the Cincinnati Open, where he won last year, for his comeback but opted to give his wrist more time to recover.

Carlos Alcaraz will return to competitive tennis at the U.S. Open, ending a more than four-month absence caused by a wrist injury, in a bid to defend his title in New York.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion confirmed on Thursday that he will play the Aug. 30-Sept. 13 tournament after withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in April and missing the French Open, Wimbledon and the North American hard-court events in Toronto and Cincinnati.

Alcaraz had initially targeted Cincinnati, where he won last year, for his comeback but opted to give his wrist more time to recover. He has gradually increased his workload in recent weeks and trained with Denmark’s Holger Rune in Murcia as he tested the injury at higher intensity.

New York holds particular significance for Alcaraz. He won his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, becoming the youngest player to reach world No. 1 in the ATP rankings.