The US Open will have at least one of the two titans in men’s tennis.
Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, said in a social media post Thursday that he will make his return to tennis at the 2026 US Open after a four-month absence.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion—and the defending US Open champion—has not played since the Barcelona Open in April, and missed the last two Grand Slams (Roland-Garros and Wimbledon) with a wrist injury.
All eyes now turn to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose status for the final Grand Slam on the calendar is still unclear. The five-time Grand Slam winner withdrew from the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open—two Masters 1000 tournaments—in recent weeks, and has not played since winning Wimbledon in July due to a knee injury.
Alcaraz and Sinner are widely viewed as the favorites in every tournament they compete in, and have split 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev was able to break through and win his first Grand Slam at the French Open in June with Alcaraz missing and Sinner falling in the early rounds.
