Carlos Alcaraz is due to make a major step forward in his recovery from a wrist injury that has kept him away from professional tennis for nearly four months, with the Spaniard reportedly eyeing a return at the upcoming Cincinnati Open.
The world No 3 last played at the Barcelona Open, where he won his opening-round match before taking a medical timeout and withdrawing from his following match due to wrist discomfort.
Since then, Alcaraz has been quietly resting and following the necessary recovery steps, most recently being seen lightly hitting tennis balls during an indoor practice session.
However, according to a new report from Spanish newspaper El Pais, the seven-time Grand Slam champion is expected to move to outdoor conditions in the coming days – marking a major step forward given the additional challenges presented by such a change in environment.
The outlet also reported that Alcaraz has already received the official tennis balls for the upcoming Cincinnati Open, which takes place from August 13-23.
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The Spaniard is defending a whopping 1000 ranking points at the Ohio event after winning the tournament for the first time 12 months ago.
Alcaraz has already dropped more than 5000 ranking points and, as a result, has been leapfrogged by Alexander Zverev in the rankings for the first time since May 2025.
Indeed, his main rival, Jannik Sinner, now sits 5290 points ahead of the Spaniard following a string of triumphs in Alcaraz’s absence, including all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles and a successful Wimbledon title defence.
However, El Pais’ recent report will come as welcome news for Alcaraz’s army of fans and provides an indication of his potential return date.
Just a few days earlier, Javier Varela, a journalist writing for La Verdad – an outlet based in Alcaraz’s home city of Murcia – reported that the world No 3 is expecting to return at the Cincinnati Open.
Similarly to El Pais, the report stated that, should he participate, he will treat the tournament as a warm-up event for the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open.
“The progress, however, is positive. Alcaraz is already hitting the ball, albeit still at a moderate intensity, and the goal is to gradually increase his training pace in the coming weeks,” the report said.
“The expectation is that he will be able to travel to the Cincinnati Masters 1000 with the intention of competing, although his participation is not guaranteed and, if he does play, he will not necessarily be at peak physical condition.”
The New York event takes place from August 30 to September 13, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.
The post Carlos Alcaraz handed huge injury boost with Cincinnati Open return targeted appeared first on Tennis365.
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