A Spanish tennis great has offered an update on Carlos Alcaraz’s fitness, saying the former world No 1 “trained at 55% last week” while discussing whether he may be ready for the 2026 US Open.

Alcaraz has not played since he picked up a right wrist injury in his first-round win at the Barcelona Open in April. He is reportedly dealing with tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tendon sheath in the wrist. That setback forced him to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier in the summer, and he later withdrew from the Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati.

His participation in New York is still unresolved. The 2026 US Open begins on 30 August, and Alcaraz is the defending champion. Despite the break from competition, his season record remains strong at 22-3. He won his first 16 matches of the year before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semi-finals.

The 23-year-old opened the season by winning his first Australian Open title, becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. He also lifted the Qatar Open trophy in February and reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters in April, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. That match was the last event he completed.

Emilio Sanchez, a former world No 1 in doubles who reached seventh in singles, spoke about Alcaraz’s recovery in an interview with Sky Sport Italia in Santa Margherita di Pula. He said: “I know he trained at 55% last week. If he’s back to 100%, we could see him at the US Open.

“I don’t know if he should wait until the fall, but then maybe he’ll go, play [the US Open], and surprise everyone like he’s done his whole life.”

Sanchez won 15 singles titles and 50 doubles titles during a career that ran from 1984 to 1998, including three Grand Slam men’s doubles crowns. He is also the elder brother of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a WTA world No 1 and four-time major champion, and founded the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona in 1998 with Sergio Casal.

Jannik Sinner’s preparations for the 2026 US Open have taken another step forward after a report said the Italian has completed shockwave therapy on his knee.

Sinner has not competed since beating Alexander Zverev in four sets in the Wimbledon final on 12 July, a result that allowed him to retain the title at the All England Club. His absence from the Canadian Open did not come as a major surprise, as he had also skipped that event in 2025. The more notable setback arrived when he pulled out of the Cincinnati Open.

The five-time Grand Slam champion said he withdrew from the Masters 1000 event because of a right knee injury. “After consulting with my doctors and my team, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati,” Sinner said.

“My right knee has been bothering me and even though we have been working hard with my medical team, I have to accept that I’m not ready to compete yet.

“I can’t wait to be back next year and I’m now focusing on getting ready for the US Open.”

That decision means Sinner is not scheduled to play another tournament before the 2026 US Open, which begins on Sunday 30 August. A report in La Gazzetta dello Sport from journalist Richard Crivelli provided the latest update on his condition.

“The world No 1 remained until yesterday at JMedical in Turin, one of his primary clinical facilities, to complete shockwave therapy on the inflamed area,” Crivelli wrote.

“Now, he has a couple of days in Monte Carlo to celebrate his 25th birthday with his family, then between Monday and Tuesday, he’ll be packing his bags for New York.

“At that point, Jannik will have a dozen days of training [before the US Open].”

Sinner will be targeting a second US Open title in New York after lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2024. In 2025, he was beaten in the final by his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in four sets.

Novak Djokovic still has a path to a 25th Grand Slam title, and the US Open now stands as his next chance to chase it.

The 39-year-old has produced a mixed Grand Slam season, yet he remains one of the defining forces on the ATP Tour. He began the year in strong form at the Australian Open, where he beat Jannik Sinner before falling to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the final.

His run at Roland Garros ended much earlier. Despite taking a two-set lead against Joao Fonseca, Djokovic was beaten in the third round by the Brazilian teenager. Wimbledon brought a deeper run, with Djokovic reaching the semi-finals, only to lose to Sinner in straight sets.

The US Open could offer a more favorable opening. Alcaraz is due to return to tennis at Flushing Meadows after a five-month absence, while Sinner is managing a knee injury that forced him out of the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. Djokovic, by contrast, says he is feeling stronger than he has in recent years.

Speaking to Eurosport, Djokovic said: “I honestly wanted to have one tournament coming into the US Open. I haven’t played since Wimbledon and my body reacted quite well after Wimbledon. It was the best that my body felt after any Grand Slam in the last two years.

“In the other Grand Slams I’ve played in the last two years, I’ve had some kind of injury, different severity that took more time for me to address and come back competing. This time I was healthy and I really wanted to play, so here I am.”

Over the past two seasons, Djokovic has again shown that he is the leading Grand Slam performer outside Sinner and Alcaraz. Fonseca’s win at Roland Garros was the only defeat of Djokovic by a player outside the top two in the past three seasons.

He will also play the Cincinnati Open, which should help him sharpen his game on North American hard courts before the US Open begins. With his body feeling fresh and both Alcaraz and Sinner carrying question marks, Djokovic may see this as his best remaining opportunity to add to his history.