Carlos Alcaraz has been away from competition long enough for the usual questions to surface: can he return at full strength immediately, or will time be needed before his level comes back? The seven-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the Barcelona Open, where he was forced to withdraw from his home event because of a wrist injury.

His name is still on the entry list for the Cincinnati Open in mid-August, and he is expected to use that Masters event as preparation for the US Open. Even so, the length of his absence has led many pundits and fans to doubt whether he can contend deep into tournaments right away.

That concern is understandable, but Alcaraz has already shown that a long injury layoff does not have to define his return. In 2022, he was forced to end his season early after suffering an abdominal injury at the Paris Masters in a match against Holger Rune. That spell kept him out until the Buenos Aires Open in February, leaving him sidelined for a similar stretch to the one he is now experiencing.

What followed was one of the strongest runs of his career. Alcaraz won the title in Buenos Aires, then moved on to the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, where he reached the final before losing to Cameron Norrie. He also won Indian Wells and reached the semifinals in Miami, completing a strong Sunshine Double in March of that season.

The clay court swing brought more success. Alcaraz captured both the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open, underlining his position among the best on the ATP Tour. In total, he won four titles in six tournaments and collected 29 victories from 31 matches after a five-month absence from tennis.

That history offers a clear reference point for what he may try to replicate now. If he can produce even a portion of what he achieved in 2023, it would represent a successful return. He will likely need that level to close the current gap to Jannik Sinner, who has opened a 5290-point lead over him in the rankings. Even with top form, making up that ground will be difficult, given Sinner’s current dominance on the ATP Tour.

The 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Challenge has released its entry list, and the names of Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams are not on it.

The event was introduced in 2025, when leading singles players were paired up during the first week of the US Open, with $1 million in prize money available. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won that first edition, and the pair will return to defend their title at Flushing Meadows.

Last year’s field included combinations such as Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilović, and Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune. None of those partnerships are listed for the 2026 event.

Djokovic is back, though this time he will team with Aryna Sabalenka. That pairing is one of four headline duos announced by the American Grand Slam, alongside Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek, Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula, and Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka.

The field also features Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Peyton Stearns and Preston Stearns, and Amanda Anisimova with Learner Tien. Alexandra Eala will make her debut and partner Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev, and Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev are also entered.

Kei Nishikori, in his final year in tennis, will make his first appearance in the event and play alongside Naomi Osaka.

In a statement, new USTA chief executive Craig Tiley said: “Anytime you can bring women and men together on the same team, you showcase tennis at its best.”

Eight additional wildcard pairs will still be added, leaving open the possibility of more notable names joining the draw. Alcaraz has also been linked with Williams, who returned during the grass-court swing in June and played Queen’s, the Berlin Open, and Wimbledon. At Wimbledon, she entered singles and lost in the first round to Maya Joint. She had been due to play doubles with Venus Williams, but a knee injury ended that campaign.

Jannik Sinner’s 2026 campaign has only strengthened his grip on the ATP Tour.

After the first seven months of the season, the Italian has already won six titles, among them a second Wimbledon crown. His record has been just as imposing: 47 matches played, only three defeats, with losses coming against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open, and Juan Manuel Cerundolo at Roland Garros.

While Sinner’s calm, low-key presence can make the scale of his effort easy to overlook, his coach Simone Vagnozzi has offered a revealing assessment of what drives the world No 1. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, he said: “He’s a fearful worker. I’ve had to motivate him two or three times in five years. His greatest quality is wanting people by his side who tell him what he doesn’t want to hear.

“It all starts with attitude and the desire to improve: you have to find the courage to make mistakes, even to fail. Jannik has a significant base of mental strength, we’ve just multiplied it. He has innate gifts. You don’t become a colt if you’re a nag.

“Now you can see that he can hit aces in the important moments, but for that to happen you have to feel confident in your shot because you’ve worked on it for hours and hours in training.”

If that description is accurate, it only underlines why Sinner has been so difficult to unsettle. His technical level is already exceptional, but Vagnozzi’s comments point to something even more important: a mentality that allows those tools to hold up when the pressure rises.

That combination helps explain why he remains miles clear at No 1, sitting 5290 ranking points ahead of second place. At this rate, dislodging him looks like a daunting task for the rest of the Tour, with his position at the summit appearing secure well beyond the current season.