After four months away from the tour, Carlos Alcaraz announced his return, confirming he would defend his US Open title at the hardcourt major next week.
This comes after the Spaniard has been sidelined with a wrist injury since the Barcelona Open in April.
“After a couple of months recovering from my injury, I miss everything. I miss this place, I miss the crowd, I miss the ball kids,” said Alcaraz, who returned to action on Tuesday at the mixed doubles event in a superstar pairing with Serena Williams.
UNBELIEVABLE POINT 😱
Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams put on a show 🔥 pic.twitter.com/R7v4AlJ57Y— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 25, 2026
“It’s a Grand Slam, best of five … coming back at a Grand Slam wasn’t an easy decision, but I just tried to put everything to be ready for this tournament.”
Despite a lengthy absence, he's still No.3 in the ATP rankings, a list Jannik Sinner sits atop more than 5000 points clear of No.2 Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz’s return to the tour – and to a Grand Slam, no less – begs the question: after so many months off duty, missing important tournaments like Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, plus the two North American Masters events, is Alcaraz up to the challenge of defending his title?
“I think it's been really important that he's taken the time that he's needed [to recover] given his age,” former top-30 player Casey Dellacqua told ausopen.com. “We want him in the sport for as long as possible.
“He's obviously a very natural competitor … And he's fresh, so I think he's got a lot of pros. I think the hardest part will be getting that match fitness back and that competitiveness. Because you can practice and train, but getting in that match rhythm again is probably going to be the biggest challenge for him.”
It’s shaping as an intriguing time for the ATP Tour. The uncertainty around Alcaraz and his wrist rehabilitation, coupled with news of Sinner's withdrawal due to a right knee injury, has left the door open for other in-form players to vie for the title.
“It’s opened up the field again, which is fun because we've seen that a lot on the women's side,” Australian tennis pro Jaimee Fourlis told ausopen.com. “But now for that to be on the men's side, that's really interesting. It's a new ball game that no one's had for the last couple of years; we've had the same two people winning pretty much every Slam.
“It's very open for a Zverev or even a Novak [Djokovic] to come back ... I think a lot of players would be on edge because it could be their opportunity and their chance.
"Sometimes you need a little luck to fall your way, and we could have a new Grand Slam champion for the men's side at US Open.”
There’s the power-serving American Ben Shelton, hot off his Canada title, for whom a home crowd is sure to infuse the 23-year-old with new energy.
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Another in-form American, Taylor Fritz, captured his first title of the season by winning Washington DC in July, his 11th title overall. Fritz is no stranger to the pointy end of the US Open, having reached at least the quarterfinals since 2023, and the 2024 final.
Then there’s Zverev, who enters the US Open as the top seed. Until recently, he was considered the best player to never have claimed a major title. The German rediscovered an aggressive style of play that ultimately led him to defeat Flavio Cobolli in the Roland Garros men’s final and finally break through.
Momentum from this victory bled into the next major tournament, with Zverev going the distance at Wimbledon to reach the finals. While he was unable to best Sinner, his recent form suggests he could be a serious threat in New York.
More recently, Arthur Fils enters the US Open with his first Masters title under his belt after his battle against American Frances Tiafoe, having overcome 12 months of injury rehabilitation. Fils is firing on all cylinders after his victory and arrives in New York with genuine belief that he can make another deep run.
We can’t talk about a Grand Slam without mentioning 24-time Grand Slam champion and four-time US Open winner Djokovic. With Sinner out of the picture and Alcaraz' return peppered with question marks, could this be the 39-year-old’s golden ticket to that highly coveted 25th Grand Slam crown?
“I always think that as long as he’s in the draw, there’s a chance,” said Roger Federer of Djokovic ahead of the main draw. “I think that’s also one of the reasons he’s still playing, because he actually truly must believe that he can still do it.”
After the Sinner-Alcaraz dominance of recent years, this wide-open period for men’s tennis means anything goes, with a US Open outcome that, try as you might, is hard to predict.
Still, Dellacqua and Fourlis were unanimous in their choice.
“Just because Alcaraz hasn’t played for four months doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to play,” said Fourlis.
“I think people will forget that … it doesn’t matter if he’s had four months off. He’s still Carlos.”