Carlos Alcaraz has been sent some clear advice from a former world No 4 about the big decision he has to make over his participation at the 2026 US Open.

The Spanish icon is the reigning US Open champion, having defeated Jannik Sinner in last year’s championship match at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz is on the entry list for the New York Grand Slam, which will begin on 30 August, but it is unclear whether he will feature, having been out of action since April.

The seven-time major champion sustained a right wrist injury in his most recent match — a first round win at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona.

The 23-year-old has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters, which means he is not set to play any tournaments before the US Open.

Jose Luis Clerc, a retired Argentine tennis star who is now a renowned commentator and analyst, urged Alcaraz to skip the final major of the season.

“Don’t participate in the US Open,” Clerc said in a message directed to Alcaraz while speaking to ESPN Tenis.

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“You haven’t played competitively since April, and those are five-set matches. Start with the Asian tour to get back to your best; you need to be at your best to win a tournament.”

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, leading injury expert Stephen Smith said he would be “shocked” if Alcaraz played the US Open.

“I think the US Open compounds almost every welfare risk at once — extreme heat and humidity in New York, hardest surface in the game, best-of-five matches that can go four or five hours,” Smith said.

“For a guy that’s been off for a significant period of time, as well, you would expect that he probably would play more sets than he normally would given the talent he has.

“For anyone managing some sort of soft tissue or bone issue, the court surface offers the least protection of any of the majors.

“Given how patient they’ve been, I would be shocked to see him at the US Open.

“If you’re taking that patient approach and you’re progressively building, why throw somebody back in to the hardest thing they might do all year? Surely, you want that to be a progressive build.”

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