Mark Philippoussis has spoken warmly about Carlos Alcaraz, saying the sport is better with the Spaniard in it as the world No 3 continues to manage a complicated injury setback.

Spanish newspaper La Verdad reported last week that Alcaraz is aiming to return at the Cincinnati Open, which starts on 13 August. The report said his camp is concentrating on getting him to the tournament in the best possible shape and added: “The wrist is healthy, completely healed and they are gradually increasing the training load.”

Alcaraz has not played since picking up a right wrist injury in his opening-round win at the Barcelona Open more than three months ago. Since then, the seven-time Grand Slam champion has missed the clay-court Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, along with the French Open and Wimbledon. He will also sit out the next Masters event on the schedule, the Canadian Open in Montreal, which begins on 1 August.

Speaking in an exclusive interview at Wimbledon, Philippoussis said he is hopeful the recovery is handled carefully and that Alcaraz can return without rushing the process.

“Look, I hope he comes back healthy. The tennis world needs him,” said the two-time Grand Slam finalist, who won 11 ATP Tour titles.

“I love watching him, he’s incredible for the game. A Grand Slam champion, he’s been No 1 in the world.

“And I just hope he can get healthy. Of course, he’s going to be someone that’s not going to rush the process.

“But also, when it’s to do with the wrist, it’s complicated. So, I’m sure he’s doing everything he can, and hopefully he can be back soon.”

Richard Krajicek also recently offered support for Alcaraz’s return, saying the former world No 4 should regain his full level once the injury settles.

The ATP Tour’s 2026 North American hard-court stretch gets underway in Washington, where the Washington Open will again draw major attention. The event runs from 27 July to 2 August and marks the 57th edition of the men’s tournament in the U.S. capital.

Known commercially as the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the ATP 500 tournament is played at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. Alex de Minaur returns as the defending champion after defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in last year’s final.

This year’s men’s main draw has been cut from 48 players to 32. The eight seeds are scheduled to be Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien and Frances Tiafoe.

The wildcard list adds another layer to the field. Ben Shelton, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jack Draper and Kei Nishikori have received the four main draw wildcards. Shelton required one to enter because he was not on the original entry list, while Tsitsipas, Draper and Nishikori were not ranked high enough for direct entry.

Prize money for the men’s tournament totals $2,469,450, according to the ATP Tour website. Ranking points are distributed as follows: 500 for the champion, 330 for the finalist, 200 for the semi-finalists, 100 for quarter-finalists, 50 for a round-of-16 finish and 0 for a first-round exit.

The entry list also includes Tommy Paul, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, Brandon Nakashima, Alex Michelsen, Tallon Griekspoor, Ugo Humbert, Matteo Arnaldi, Alejandro Tabilo, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Arthur Rinderknech, Adrian Mannarino, Zizou Bergs and Kamil Majchrzak. Tsitsipas, Draper and Nishikori appear on the list as wildcards alongside Shelton.