Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open, extending an injury absence that has already cost him appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon. As of Thursday, the 22-year-old Spaniard has gone 114 days without playing a competitive match. The US Open begins in less than a month, and his ability to defend his title there remains uncertain.
According to BBC Sport, Alcaraz is dealing with tenosynovitis, a painful inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath surrounding the tendon on the inside of the wrist. The condition is typically caused by repetitive movements such as gripping and swinging a tennis racket, and can produce swelling and ongoing tenderness. Minor cases can be managed with rest over a matter of weeks, but more severe cases may require significant physiotherapy or even surgery, with recovery sometimes taking up to a year. Alcaraz has not undergone surgery.
For a portion of his absence, Alcaraz was unable to hold a racquet at all. He had returned to training before his Cincinnati withdrawal was announced, but clearly has not yet reached a level where competitive play is possible.
The timing of the injury makes it particularly costly. In January, Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam by beating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to claim his seventh major title. Just months before that, he defeated Jannik Sinner in the US Open final in what BBC Sport described as one of the most impressive performances of his career to date.
Wrist injuries carry specific risks for tennis players that injuries to other joints do not. The wrist is involved in every contact between racquet and ball, driving both power and precision. The ability to roll the wrist through a shot generates pace, and fine motor control is essential for delicate shots like drop shots, which are central to Alcaraz's style of play.
"They're much tougher injuries," 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek told Tennis365. "It's really difficult to reset when you start playing again [after this type injury]. You need to go step by step. It's not as clear-cut as tearing the ligaments in your ankle, which [you know takes] three or four months and then you can play again."
The wrist also lacks the muscle coverage that surrounds larger joints, making it harder to rebuild strength and harder to predict how long a full recovery will take. Grand Slam winners Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin del Potro both dealt with recurring wrist problems throughout their careers. As the game has shifted toward harder baseline hitting and double-handed backhands, the strain on wrists across the tour has grown.
The US Open is now the focus. Whether Alcaraz will be ready in time remains an open question.
