Fresh doubts have been raised over Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of defending his title at the US Open after he withdrew from a key warm-up event.
The world No. 2 has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters, which was set to be his first event on the Tour since April. Alcaraz has been sidelined with a wrist injury. He is understood to be dealing with wrist tenosynovitis, a condition where inflammation occurs in the protective sheath surrounding the wrist tendons.
“We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible,’ tournament director Bob Moran said in a press release.
“We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”
Alcaraz has been documenting his recovery on social media and less than a week ago posted a video of him hitting without wearing any support on his wrist. Since then, a more recent video of Alcaraz training has been published by journalist Germán Abril, who is based in the tennis player’s birthplace of Murcia.
Given the ongoing recovery and lack of match play, it is unclear if Alcaraz will be ready in time to defend his title at the US Open. It is possible that he could enter Winston-Salem, which is an ATP 250 event that takes place the week before the Grand Slam. However, there has been no confirmation from Alcaraz or his team about his plans for America.
As a result of his absence, Alcaraz will soon be overtaken by Alexander Zverev in the rankings and be seeded third for the US Open, if he plays.
Draper’s frustration continues
Former US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper is another player facing questions about his presence in New York. The Brit has been troubled by physical setbacks over the past year with bone bruising in his serving arm, as well as a knee issue that ended his clay swing this season.
Draper returned to action at the Canadian Open but appears to still be troubled by his arm issue as he suffered a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 loss to France’s Terence Atmane. During one of the changovers in the final set, the former world No.4 was in tears but didn’t call for a physio and continued playing.
“It’s a very, very complex injury. There’s a lot of different things to think about with a bone stress, especially in a sport where I need to hit my serve at 130 miles an hour,” Draper told Sky Sports earlier this month.
“That’s my weapon, my arm. So, when that’s causing me a lot of discomfort, it’s hard to do what you want to do and to enjoy it as well.
“I think it’s just problem-solving in ways: how can I change things, how can I adjust my rackets, my equipment, how can I recover better, how can I just do everything I can to get better.”
Unlike other injuries, surgery is usually not an option as it could worsen the issue. Instead, players are advised to rest as much as possible to enable the bone to heal and strengthen.
So far this season, Draper has played in five Tour-level events with a win-loss record of 8-5.
Is Sinner ready?
World No.1 Jannik Sinner is not known to be dealing with any significant injury issues, but alarm bells were recently raised when it emerged that he had undergone medical checks. Newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that Sinner underwent a checkup in Milan similar to the one he had shortly after exiting the French Open.
It is understood that Sinner was examined by Dr Gianluca Melegati, who specialises in rehabilitation and sports medicine. It is unclear why the check took place, with some media reports speculating it could be related to Sinner’s knee. However, there is no official confirmation of this.
As it currently stands, Sinner is expected to return to action in Cincinnati in what will be his first tournament since winning Wimbledon. This is not unusual for the 24-year-old, who also didn’t play any events between Wimbledon and Cincinnati last year. In recent days, he has been training in Monte Carlo with his team.
The US Open main draw will begin on August 31st.
