​Carlos Alcaraz is still in rehabilitation as he aims to be fit for the US Open, but sports icon Boris Becker remains skeptical about his return timeline. The 20-year-old Spaniard has been out since April, when he injured his right wrist during his opening match at the Barcelona Open. Initially, it seemed he might be able to rejoin the tour for the grass-court season, yet he missed both the clay and grass swings, casting doubt over his participation at the US Open as well.
The young prodigy recently resumed training at his tennis academy and posted a video showcasing his progress on social media. Despite this visible improvement, Becker—an accomplished six-time Grand Slam champion—took a cautious stance about Alcaraz’s readiness, telling X, “Nice to see him hit a little but still far off I am afraid,” in response to footage of Alcaraz serving.
Alcaraz has already been left off the Canadian Open entry list, which starts on August 2. The tennis world hopes to see him back in action at the Cincinnati Open, where he is the defending champion, but his participation remains uncertain for the ATP Masters 1000 event. With the US Open scheduled to begin on August 30, Alcaraz still has more than a month to rebuild his form and fitness. At Flushing Meadows, he will be defending 2,000 ranking points, while Cincinnati demands another 1,000 points as last year’s champion.
Amid his absence from the ATP Tour for injury reasons, Alcaraz is projected to drop to as low as third in the ATP rankings when the Wimbledon results are tallied. He could be overtaken by Alexander Zverev, who is poised to rise to second place after securing the French Open title and reaching the Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz began the year with a triumph at the Australian Open, but the season has since presented him with several hurdles. His Sunshine Swing campaign did not meet expectations, and he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in the Monte-Carlo Masters final before sustaining the wrist injury that has sidelined him for the past two months.
As the US Open approaches, Alcaraz is expected to intensify his practice regimen in the coming weeks, gradually building toward full fitness for the season’s late stages. The focus will be on safely increasing training load while monitoring the wrist’s recovery to ensure he can compete at the highest level without risking a prolonged setback.
In the meantime, fans and analysts will be watching closely to determine if Alcaraz’s health progresses quickly enough to reclaim his place among the sport’s elite in time for the pivotal late-summer and autumn tournaments. The next updates on his rehabilitation will be crucial for assessing whether he can defend or surge in ranking points and return to his peak form for a demanding second half of the season.