{"id":48997,"date":"2026-08-10T01:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T01:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/48997\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T01:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T01:08:28","slug":"carlos-alcaraz-wrist-injury-puts-us-open-defence-in-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/tennis\/48997\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlos Alcaraz wrist injury puts US Open defence in doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tennis misses Carlos. Everybody misses Carlos.<\/p>\n

The sport isn\u2019t the same without Carlos Alcaraz, its sunny, electric, endlessly scampering 23-year-old acrobat from Spain. With Carlos missing since April, tennis wearily bounces on, a little less fun, deprived of its most charismatic, exciting-to-watch character.<\/p>\n

Alcaraz has been out rehabilitating a wrist he injured winning the Australian Open <\/a>in February. He put his name on the start list for the Cincinnati Open starting tomorrow \u2013 a standard tune-up for the US Open later this month \u2013 then suddenly withdrew this week. Organisers cited his continued recovery.<\/p>\n

Oof. You could feel the groan all the way from southwest Ohio. Alcaraz has not been ruled out of the US Open, where he is the defending men\u2019s champion and one of the tournament\u2019s biggest drawcards. Surely he would like to play if he is cleared to play.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say this up front: A wrist on the racket hand isn\u2019t the sort of injury to be trifled with. For a tennis player, that wrist is everything: power, control, finesse. That wrist is how Alcaraz sculpts that spectacular drop shot that makes opponents quiver at the knees<\/a> and would make Harry Hopman cry.<\/p>\n

A bad wrist can derail a career, and if you don\u2019t believe that, consider Juan Martin del Potro, the brilliant fireballer from Argentina who beat Roger Federer to win the U.S. Open in 2009, looked poised to supercharge the sport, but never would win another major, his career repeatedly derailed by wrist and other injuries.<\/p>\n

If Carlos needs more time, he should take all the time he needs. Take the rest of the year. Put the racquet down. Chill in Ibiza. He\u2019s so young. Pay now, instead of later.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long, hot, brutal summer on the men\u2019s side. The field feels thin, decimated. Neither Alcaraz (hurt), world No.1 Jannik Sinner (resting on sacks of money) nor Novak Djokovic (being an old person) turned up at the now-underway Canadian Open. Canada\u2019s best men\u2019s player, world No.4 Felix Auger-Aliassime, just withdrew from Montreal with a bad back. Mon dieu.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, there was the agonising sight of Jack Draper, the former top-10 British wunderkind, tearing up mid-match as he continues to be hobbled by arm pain. Draper\u2019s been careful and thought he was ready to come back to the tour. He was not.<\/p>\n

Draper is one of the sport\u2019s most ferocious young talents, considered a challenger to Sinner and Alcaraz. Now there\u2019s a panic that he could be cooked.<\/p>\n

Arms, elbows, wrists: don\u2019t mess with these.<\/p>\n

Sinner, meanwhile, will glide back slowly to Cincinnati, taking time off after an impressive victory at Wimbledon. The Italian media reported Sinner had his right knee checked at a Milan clinic, but announced there was no reason for concern, and there is zero indication that he will miss the US Open.<\/p>\n

Still, all of this tumult serves to remind us that tennis is a grind, a global sport with limitless travel and an endless calendar. Players are starting to mildly rebel: announcing they want fewer events, and more money at the events they do play, but it has not manifested in any significant change.<\/p>\n

For hackers like me and you, tennis may be a sport for life, but at the professional level, it\u2019s fragile. The whole play-to-40 durability of Djokovic and the Big Three: that wasn\u2019t normal. That was crazytown. Tennis is brutal on bodies. Careers traditionally end much sooner. Eventually the wear and tear caught Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, too.<\/p>\n

It is not entirely a bummer summer. Praise the heavens for Alex Eala. The 21-year-old Filipino has been electrifying the women\u2019s side, recently winning the DC Open, her legions of Filipino fans energizing the entire tournament, even a Monday rainout final. Eala-mania has carried into the women\u2019s Canadian Open in Toronto, where Eala\u2019s matches are being moved<\/a> to accommodate the massive fan interest.<\/p>\n

That is the best. Get ready for Eala-mania at the US Open.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still no confirmation we will see Serena Williams again in singles. She\u2019s scheduled to play doubles with her sister Venus in Cincinnati, and if that goes well, one presumes we will see them pair again in New York. But there\u2019s been no word about Serena\u2019s singles availability after her one-and-done exit at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n

We can be patient with that. She is 44. It\u2019s been hard to tell what kind of comeback Williams is pursuing \u2013 if this is a quick resurfacing to play with Venus, or if she intends to fully recommit to the tour.<\/p>\n

A few weeks out, the US Open feels unsettled in a way it seldom does. This is the sport\u2019s final clambake \u2013 the last major of the calendar, the lights of the city, a vodka lemonade-soaked conclave for superfans and sponsors. There\u2019s still plenty to look forward to, including another go at the starry mixed doubles tournament, this one featuring the pairing of Djokovic and women\u2019s No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. That\u2019s a lot of personality on one side of the court. \u201cDjokoryna\u201d should be a hoot.<\/p>\n

As should Venus Williams, 46, and Russian-Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik paired up.<\/p>\n

But elsewhere, the waiting continues, for Alcaraz especially. His absence is felt. Not so long ago, Alcaraz and Sinner had the sport in their grip, unleashing epic matches, trading major titles and elevating over the rest of the field. Sinner versus Alcaraz quickly became one of the best rivalries on earth, giving tennis fresh life after the Big Three.<\/p>\n

Sinner\u2019s kept playing dominant tennis, but he seems a little lost without his buddy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a player who pushes me to my limits,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what tennis is supposed to be. Best versus the best, seeing them push the game to its heights. Let\u2019s play the long game here. Take care of that wrist, Carlos. And thank goodness for Eala-mania.<\/p>\n

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tennis misses Carlos. Everybody misses Carlos. The sport isn\u2019t the same without Carlos Alcaraz, its sunny, electric, 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