Carlos Alcaraz Withdraws From Cincinnati Masters With Wrist Injury

World number two Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the ATP Cincinnati Masters due to the wrist injury that has sidelined him since April, tournament organizers confirmed on Tuesday. The Spaniard will not defend his title at the event, which begins on August 13, with organizers citing “an ongoing wrist injury.”

The decision immediately casts a shadow over Alcaraz’s build-up to the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, which starts on August 30 in New York. The Cincinnati Masters is regarded as the last major hard-court tune-up before the season’s closing major, making his absence a significant late change to the tournament field and the wider pre-Open narrative.

Organizers confirm withdrawal as Alcaraz continues recovery

Cincinnati tournament director Bob Moran addressed the news in a statement, acknowledging the situation and offering support as Alcaraz continues his rehabilitation. “We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible,” Moran said. “We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future.”

Alcaraz’s withdrawal means he will not return to the tournament where he is the defending champion. With the event starting on August 13, the announcement provides clarity for the tournament’s planning and for fans expecting the world No. 2 to headline the elite hard-court field in Ohio.

The wrist issue has been a persistent problem for Alcaraz since April, when he suffered the injury in the first round of the Barcelona Open. Since then, his 2026 schedule has been repeatedly disrupted as he has worked his way back, with multiple high-profile absences across the European clay swing and the summer grass season.

According to the report, Alcaraz pulled out of tournaments in Madrid and Rome before later withdrawing from Roland Garros. At the time of that French Open decision, he said he and his team had decided it was “the most prudent thing to do.”

He then missed Wimbledon as well. The report notes that, in opting out of the grass-court Grand Slam, Alcaraz said his recovery was going well but that he was still not ready to play. Wimbledon ultimately ended with his rival Jannik Sinner winning for the second year in a row, this time against Germany’s Alexander Zverev, identified in the report as the French Open winner.

Alcaraz’s absence from these events underlines how long the wrist injury has kept him away from the sport’s biggest stages in 2026. The report adds that this marked the third Grand Slam that Alcaraz has missed since he made his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open.

What Alcaraz has missed in 2026

Alcaraz has already opted out of the French Open and Wimbledon this year as he continues to recover from the injury sustained in April. His Cincinnati withdrawal extends that run of missed opportunities, removing another major tournament from his comeback timeline and leaving his next competitive appearance uncertain.

US Open build-up in focus after Cincinnati decision

The move is likely to spark concerns over Alcaraz’s ability to defend his upcoming title at the US Open, which begins on August 30 in New York. With Cincinnati described as the last major tune-up for the Open, skipping the Masters 1000 event means Alcaraz will lose a key chance for match play on hard courts ahead of the season’s final Grand Slam.

The report also highlights Alcaraz’s broader achievements despite the interruption to his season. He is described as a seven-time Grand Slam champion and, at 23, the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, doing so in January with his triumph at the Australian Open. He also won the ATP title in Doha in February.

For Cincinnati, the withdrawal removes a marquee name and the defending champion from the draw. For the wider tour, it adds another layer of uncertainty to the late-summer calendar as attention turns to whether Alcaraz can return in time for the US Open and at what level, after months of managing an injury that has kept him out since April.