It looks like the wait for Carlos Alcaraz fans is almost over. The Spaniard has been out of action since the Barcelona in April due to injury, missing two Majors at the French Open and at Wimbledon. However, an announcement hinted at a potential date for the Spaniard’s comeback to tennis.

The Cincinnati Open recently released its promotional video, featuring the top tennis stars who will be in action at the Lindner Family Tennis Center this year. Among several other ATP stars, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz also features in the video, hinting at the Spaniard’s potential participation in the event, scheduled to begin on August 10. The Spaniard is the defending champion in Cincinnati, winning via retirement against Jannik Sinner after the Italian struggled to continue in the heat.

There has been endless debate and speculation in the media about the extent of Alcaraz’s wrist injury, which began when he withdrew from his second-round match in Barcelona. The Spaniard and his team did not rush recovery, as there have been well-documented examples of how wrist injuries have ruined tennis careers, as seen in the cases of Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Keeping the long-term goal in mind, Alcaraz withdrew from two Major events, which cost him significant ranking points, slipping to No. 3 as Alexander Zverev replaced him as World No. 2 after Wimbledon.

However, Alcaraz has been providing regular updates on his recovery on social media, with the first ray of encouragement coming in mid-June, when the Spaniard was seen running with his trainer without a cast on his wrist. While Wimbledon was in full swing, the Spaniard shared footage of himself hitting balls, signaling he was ready to resume training. The final step of his recovery came in the form of a news report in Spanish publications, which stated that the former World No.1 underwent his highly anticipated medical check-up with Dr. Ángel Ruiz-Cotorro, who cleared Alcaraz to return to the sport.

If Alcaraz does make his return in Cincinnati, it would end an almost four-month absence for the former World No.1, the longest injury layoff of his career to date. Making his return to Cincinnati will be significant, as Alcaraz has already been involved in some special moments at this tournament in the preceding years.

Carlos Alcaraz Has Had His Moments at the Cincinnati Open Over the Years

Over the last three years, the Cincinnati Open has been witness to some charismatic and controversial Alcaraz moments. Back in 2023, the Spaniard played a once-in-a-lifetime final against Novak Djokovic, which lasted almost 4 hours. The Spaniard had just ended the Serb’s Wimbledon reign one month back, but on this occasion it was the veteran who completed the victory, recovering after being down a match point in the second set.

The 2024 Cincinnati Open saw an emotional outburst from Alcaraz on court, as he smashed his racket during his loss to Gael Monfils. This was just the beginning of what was to come in the New York summer, as the Spaniard lost to Botic Van de Zandschulp in the second round at the US Open, which was one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.

However, last year, the Cincinnati Open was one of redemption for Alcaraz. Having lost his Wimbledon crown to Sinner a month earlier, the Spaniard was determined to have his say on the North American hard courts. The Spaniard had a tough draw, beating the likes of Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev to set up the Sinner clash in the final. Even though the hyped-up match turned out to be a no-contest with the Italian retiring mid-match, the Cincinnati campaign gave Alcaraz the confidence to win the US Open, with a four-set win over Sinner in the final.

Now with Alcaraz making his potential comeback at Cincinnati, the Spaniard will have a significant career moment at the Ohio-based event for a fourth consecutive year.