"Perhaps we won't see Alcaraz play this year anymore"
Greg Rusedski believes that the Spanish tennis player's withdrawal from Cincinnati may be a sign that his wrist injury is still causing him problems.
Carlos Alcaraz is in the final stage of his recovery after the wrist injury suffered in April at ATP Barcelona. However, the Spanish tennis player and his team have decided to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 just a few days before it begins, which Greg Rusedski believes could lead to him not playing another tournament for the rest of 2026.
The former tennis player reiterated how complicated wrist injuries are, and that Alcaraz should not rush so as not to risk a relapse in the future. It is still uncertain whether Carlos will play in the US Open, as he would arrive with little preparation, but it is expected that in the coming weeks he will compete in some tournament now that he is training at a considerable intensity. Nonetheless, Rusedski is not entirely convinced and has a much more negative opinion than most.
"He can no longer play in the US Open. There’s no way he can participate if he misses the Cincinnati tournament. Everything seemed to be going well, and then we received this news. If it were just a minor inflammation, a slight problem, he would already be recovered. It's something a bit more serious. We don’t know if he has torn something, if it's something more serious, or if he has undergone any surgical intervention. Who knows what has happened?" he stated in his podcast 'Off Court'.
Rusedski, very pessimistic about Alcaraz's return
In fact, Greg went further and even stated that "the only ones who know what is happening are Carlos Alcaraz and the rest of his team, but this is taking much longer than we thought. I think he should take all the time necessary, even if it means missing the rest of the year and then resuming activity in 2027. I believe that this could take a bit longer and we might not see him play this year."
Alcaraz's plan is to reappear once any risk and pain in the wrist has disappeared, something Rusedski agrees with, as he practically rules him out for a short-term return. "You have to be 110% sure about his body, make sure everything is fine regarding the risks, because the risks are difficult to handle. So, in my opinion, he won't play in the US Open. He won't play in Cincinnati, so that's over. Will we see him when the indoor season arrives? Who knows?” he concluded.
For now, there are too many uncertainties regarding Carlos Alcaraz's near future, although the feelings are positive despite withdrawing from Cincinnati. What still remains to be seen is whether he will choose to play in a lower-tier tournament to get some match practice before the US Open, or if he will decide to withdraw from the last Grand Slam of the year, where he defends his title just as he did in Cincinnati. Too many months out of the circuit for a player whom tennis needs as much as he needs to return to play.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Quizás ya no veamos a Alcaraz jugar este año"