‘I’m back’: Alcaraz returns for US Open title defence after 4-month injury

Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz announced on Thursday that he will return at the US Open to defend his title after recovering from a wrist injury that has sidelined him for the past four months.

“I’m back. Here we go,” the seven-time Grand Slam champion said in a video posted on social media.

The Spaniard has not played since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in mid-April with a right wrist injury, missing both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in January with his triumph, at age 22, at the Australian Open.

He added the ATP hard court title in Doha in February.

But after withdrawing in Barcelona he pulled out of tournaments in Madrid and Rome before withdrawing from Roland Garros, where he was the two-time reigning champion.

He pulled the plug on the French Open a month before the tournament was to start and withdrew from Wimbledon almost six weeks before The Championships were to begin.

His camp has been stingy with details of the injury, reported to be tenosynovitis — in which fluid accumulates in a tendon sheath.

At Wimbledon, rival Jannik Sinner prevailed for the second year in a row, beating French Open winner Alexander Zverev in the final.

Tottenham move for Savinho, Marmoush as Watkins set for Saudi transfer

In the wake of that victory, Sinner voiced the hope that he would soon renew his rivalry with the Spaniard.

“We hope that Carlos is coming back, because tennis needs him,” Sinner said.

Zverev had moved into second in the world rankings ahead of Alcaraz after Wimbledon, but Alcaraz has since regained the No. 2 spot ahead of the German.

Alcaraz had been slated to return for this week’s hard court tournament in Cincinnati, the last big tune-up for the US Open.

Until this year, Alcaraz had missed just one Grand Slam since making his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open, missing Melbourne in 2023 with a hamstring injury.