Carlos Alcaraz is set to return to tennis at the Cincinnati Open, but he’s been handed a lovely little boost from the ATP Tour ahead of his return.
The Spaniard has missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as three Masters titles, after suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April.
The star has signed up to the Cincinnati Open and the US Open as he return looms closer, and Alcaraz has been spotted striking balls with some venom on social media.
Alcaraz will be hoping to climb up the rankings when he returns to tennis, having fallen to world No 3 thanks to Alexander Zverev win at Roland Garros and his final appearance at Wimbledon.
However, Alcaraz has made some grounds in the rankings without even playing in recent days.
More Carlos Alcaraz news
Despite his inactivity on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz has overtaken Alexander Zverev to become the world No 2 yet again.
That is because the Canadian Open has been moved up by a week on the calendar, so Zverev has lost the 360 points he earned from the 2025 tournament.
The ATP Tour top three as it stands
- Jannik Sinner – 13,450 points
- Carlos Alcaraz – 8160 points
- Alexander Zverev – 8090 points
As Alcaraz did not play the Canadian Open last year, he has not lost any points and climbed the ATP Tour rankings without even lifting up a racket.
There is currently 70 ranking points splitting Alcaraz and Zverev, which the German will more than likely earn while at the Canadian Open.
However, it will be too late for Zverev to crack back into the top two seeds ahead of the Cincinnati Open.
An interesting quirk on the ATP Tour means that it will actually boost Alcaraz’s chances at the Cincinnati Open.
The cut off for the tournament is before the culmination of the Canadian Open, which means Alcaraz will remain the second seed at the Cincinnati Open.
That means he will be drawn in the opposite side of the draw as world No 1 Jannik Sinner, so he will not have to play the Italian until the final at the latest.
That could be a major boost for the Spaniard as he looks to win big at his first tournament for five months, since he was forced out of the Barcelona Open in April.
While it’s very unlikely he will win the Cincinnati Open after such a long time away from the court, his higher seeding at the tournament will give him an easier ride of things in the first few rounds.
The star is defending the full 1000 points at the Cincinnati Open, as he lifted the trophy in 2025, so he will need to go deep into the tournament in order to keep hold of his world No 2 position.
