Tennis fans rejoice because Carlos Alcaraz is ready to defend his title in New York. The seven-time Grand Slam champion confirmed Thursday that he will be stepping on the courts at the US Open, marking his first tournament since a wrist injury forced him to take time to recover in April.
© GettyThe 23-year-old tennis star confirmed the news Thursday in a joint Instagram post with reporter Fabrizio Romano. “Here we go!” Romano wrote over a photo of the 23-year-old tennis star in his Nike kit.
"Carlos Alcaraz will return to the tour at the US Open after spending four months sidelined with a right wrist injury," he wrote in the caption. The 7-time Grand Slam winner was in the comments, writing, Here we go.”
© Getty ImagesThe tournament begins Aug. 30 in New York, and is especially special because Alcaraz is returning as the defending champion. He won his second US Open title last year after beating Jannik Sinner in the final.
What happened to Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist?
The injury goes back to April, when Alcaraz was playing at the Barcelona Open. He won his opening match against Otto Virtanen, but his right wrist "gave way" during the match.
© Soccrates ImagesAlcaraz said the problem started after a return and became increasingly uncomfortable as the match went on. “As you all saw yesterday in the match, after a return, my wrist gave way,” he said in a press conference after withdrawing from the tournament. “I started to feel discomfort, which gradually got worse during the match.”
The tennis star said he had experienced the sensation before and thought it would go away, but after further testing, he decided to listen to his body.
“From today’s tests, it’s a slightly more serious injury than we all expected,” he said. “And, honestly, I need to listen to my body, to do what’s best for me, so it doesn’t impact me in the future.”
The injury was later reported as tenosynovitis, an inflammation affecting a tendon in his right wrist.
© GettyAlcaraz pulled out of the Madrid Open shortly after Barcelona and missed the French Open, where he would have been defending his title.
He later announced that he would also miss Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and the Canadian Open because he still wasn't ready to compete. “My recovery is going well, and I’m feeling much better, but unfortunately I’m still not ready to compete,” Alcaraz said in May. “We’ll keep working to come back as soon as possible!”
Earlier this month, Alcaraz was expected to return at the Canadian Open, but he pulled out shortly before the tournament, which left fans wondering if he would actually be ready in time to defend his US Open crown. But with today's announcement, it's clear he's ready for action.
