Carlos Alcaraz confirms US Open return after four-month injury layoff

Carlos ‌Alcaraz will return to competitive tennis at ⁠the US ⁠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 August 30-September 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 he 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.

His return was also ⁠given a football-style announcement on Instagram by transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, who posted “Here we go!” ⁠alongside confirmation that Alcaraz would be back at the US Open.

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 ‌number one in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings.