Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Cincinnati Open

No one wanted this news, and many did not see it coming as defending Cincinnati Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was seemingly on his way back to competitive tennis. Recent videos showed the forehand, with a healing wrist, looking strong.

However, there has always been a concern about the reps of match and tournament play with the wrist injury that has sidelined him for months.

Alcaraz withdrew from the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open could be in jeopardy too.

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Will Alcaraz play the US Open?

Many thought Cincinnati’s best-of-three set matches would give Alcaraz some confidence and insight into how his wrist would perform in New York’s best-of-five set matches.

With Cincinnati out, there is a good chance that Alcaraz will miss his third Grand Slam of the year. He won the 2026 Australian Open, completing the career Grand Slam, but has been sidelined since.

Alcaraz has been missed so much, and this makes fans more depressed. Some were looking forward to seeing what hairstyle he would be sporting in Cincinnati. (Spoiler alert: braids are already gone.)

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An opportunity for someone not named Sinner or Zverev to step up

Aside from Alexander Zverev capturing his maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros, no one has really stepped up in Alcaraz’s absence. Sinner steamrolled through Wimbledon.

Taylor Fritz could be the next man up in Cincinnati after a strong Mubadala DC Open title win.

In the meantime, let’s hope Alcaraz is getting closer to a safe and healthy return. Even worse than his withdrawal from tournaments would be if he played and reinjured himself.

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