Alcaraz confirms US Open return after four-month injury layoff

Carlos Alcaraz will return to competitive tennis at the U.S. Open, ending a more ​than four-month absence caused by a wrist ‌injury, in a bid to defend his title in New York.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion confirmed on ​Thursday that he will play the Aug. ​30-Sept. 13 tournament after withdrawing from the ⁠Barcelona Open in April and missing the ​French Open, Wimbledon and the North American hard-court ​events in Toronto and Cincinnati.

Alcaraz had initially targeted Cincinnati, where he won last year, for his comeback but opted ​to give his wrist more time to ​recover. He has gradually increased his workload in recent ‌weeks ⁠and trained with Denmark's Holger Rune in Murcia as he tested the injury at higher intensity.

His return was also given a football-style announcement by ​transfer reporter ​Fabrizio Romano ⁠on Instagram, who posted “Here we go!” alongside confirmation that Alcaraz would ​be back at the U.S. Open.

New York ​holds ⁠particular significance for Alcaraz. He won his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, ⁠becoming ​the youngest player to reach ​world number one in the ATP rankings.