Carlos Alcaraz Receives Warning Over US Open Participation Without Match Practice Amid Injury Recovery

Carlos Alcaraz, if he returns to the US Open, he will be playing without any match practice, given that he withdrew from both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters. And this could lead to more problems, believes Batata Clerc, a former Argentine ATP player.

Alcaraz has not yet competed in a tournament since the opening round of the Barcelona Open, during which he injured his wrist. He was forced to skip both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Although his withdrawal from the Canadian Open was expected, he put his name on the entry list for the Cincinnati Masters. He also hit the ground for the practice sessions. But in the end, he chose to delay his comeback by withdrawing from the Ohio tournament, where last year he received a walkover from his arch-rival Jannik Sinner in the final.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion is also a defending champion in the New York Major (beat Sinner last year). If he intends to play there, Clerc urged him to consider this decision.

Don’t play the US Open. You lack match playing experience, and those are five-set matches. Start in Asia to be at your peak; you need to be at your peak to win a tournament. So if you’re listening to me, start in Asia.

Batata Clerc told ESPN Tennis

Alcaraz has already made three finals this season. Following his win at the Australian Open over Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard beat Arthur Fils in the Qatar Open final. But Sinner downed him in the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he competed as the defending champion. The defeat saw the 23-year-old lose his No.1 ranking to the five-time Grand Slam champion.

Danielle Collins and Steve Johnson back Arthur Fils to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Several youngsters have emerged who have shown the ability to challenge the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner duopoly. Danielle Collins too has given her take on which player can consistently threaten the Sincaraz dominance. According to her, the player is Arthur Fils.

I think the way he plays, the athlete that he is, he has every tool to be able to be a top ten player. I think the biggest question is the stamina. He covers the court so well, but as he goes deeper into the tournament, sometimes that’s where problems start to show up.

Danielle Collins said on Tennis Channel

Sinner and Alcaraz have won a combined 10 Grand Slam tournaments since the 2024 season. It was Alexander Zverev who broke their streak when he beat Flavio Cobolli in this year’s French Open final. But in that event, Alcaraz did not compete, while Sinner dealt with physical setbacks and ended up losing his second-round match.

Steve Johnson also agreed with Collins about her take on Fils but also identified one problem.

He possesses so much firepower off both sides of the ball, forehand, backhand, serve. But for him, it’s been a question of health. He hasn’t been able to kind of play that consistent schedule, but in my opinion, he is somebody that should be a mainstay in the top ten and competing for these big titles week in and week out.

Steve Johnson said on Tennis Channel

Fils is currently playing at the Canadian Open, where he has set up a quarterfinal clash with Rafael Jodar. The Frenchman has already played two finals this year, losing the Doha Open to Alcaraz and winning the Barcelona Open by beating Andrey Rublev.

Sinner is expected to be back for the US Open to chase his seventh title of the season. Before his Wimbledon title defense, the 24-year-old clinched the first five Masters 1000s of the season, completing the Career Golden Masters with his win in Rome.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Makes Feelings Clear on No.1 Ranking Goal After Aryna Sabalenka’s Canadian Open Exit