Carlos Alcaraz might never play the Barcelona Open again. The event is his home tournament, but he has also been injured playing there in each of the past two years. In 2026, he hurt his wrist, and the ailment forced him out of the French Open and Wimbledon, and he sank in the ATP rankings.
Some tennis pundits have suggested that Alcaraz could miss the rest of the year with the issue, giving his wrist the rest it needs before returning in full in 2027. Sure, his ranking might fall further (he currently sits at No. 3 as Alexander Zverev moved up to No. 2 and Jannik Sinner sits at No. 1), but at least he wouldn't risk aggravating the problem.
There is some good news recently, though. According to La Verdad, the player aimed to return after the Canadian Open, which he skipped in 2025, too, and return for the Cincinnati Masters. That event begins on Monday, August 11. The Spaniard returning by then is looking more promising.
Tennis fans get promising news on potential Carlos Alcaraz return
La Verdad stated that Alcaraz still must be medically cleared to return, and his physician, Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, is expected to do that this week. The wrist has healed, and now the Spaniard needs to test his health by increasing his workload. A month from this posting, he should be ready to return.
The challenge for Carlos Alcaraz is that once he does return, he will need to be great straight away. He won the Cincinnati Masters last year and then followed that by winning the US Open. That means he has 3,000 points to defend as soon as he comes back. Any rust he has will need to be shaken off immediately.
Still, if any player can do that, it is Alcaraz. He has always been an elite player and has had to overcome various injuries to be so. He is still only 23 years old and has seven major titles. If he can maintain his health, which is a real question for the Spaniard, he could absolutely chase 20 major titles, battling Jannik Sinner along the way.
One aspect of tennis that will have changed in Alcaraz's potential four-month absence is that Zverev is suddenly a very potent player. When Alcaraz returns, he won't only be fighting off Sinner for major victories, but Zverev too. Somehow, the Spaniard will not have played for a third of the year and tennis has still gotten better overall.
