Carlos Alcaraz has at last confirmed that he will compete at the US Open, ending a five-month spell away from the ATP Tour.

The Spaniard has not played on the tour since injuring his wrist at the Barcelona Open, a problem that ruled him out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon as well. For a time, his return remained uncertain, but a post shared in collaboration with Fabrizio Romana on 20 August settled the question.

On that same day, Alcaraz was already back on court in Spain, working with Holger Rune. The pair have spent the week practising together, with both players trying to build match sharpness ahead of the closing stretch of the ATP Tour.

Rune has been sidelined since suffering an ACL injury at the Stockholm Open last October, leaving him out of competitive action for nearly a year. Their recent sessions have now included a full match, and Alcaraz came through it 7-6, 6-2 on Thursday, 20 August at the Spaniard’s academy in Murcia.

The focus now shifts to New York, where Alcaraz is expected to travel on Monday, 24 August. His return carries extra weight because he will be defending the full 2000 points earned by winning the Grand Slam in 2025.

There is also growing talk that he could feature in the US Open Mixed Doubles event with Serena Williams during the tournament’s Opening Week. If that pairing is confirmed, it would give Alcaraz another chance to collect match practice, while also creating one of the most closely watched entries in the event.

Alcaraz previously appeared in the inaugural 2025 edition alongside Emma Raducanu, although they were beaten in the first round by Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula.

Williams and Alcaraz are expected to receive one of the remaining wildcards, with Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex Eala, Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic also confirmed for the competition.

The Spaniard’s comeback will not be straightforward. He has already been passed by Alexander Zverev during his absence, and another early defeat in New York could leave him vulnerable in the rankings once again.

Jannik Sinner has ruled himself out of this year’s US Open after deciding his right knee still needs more time to recover. The world No. 1 said the choice was made after recent work with his team and medical staff, following practice in Monte Carlo over the past few days.

In a statement posted on social media, Sinner said: “Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year.

“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

The withdrawal arrives one day after Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his return for the Grand Slam, adding to the disappointment around the event. Alcaraz and Sinner have not appeared together in a Grand Slam since the Australian Open, where Alcaraz won the title and Sinner exited in the semi finals.

Sinner now loses a substantial haul of ranking points. He reached the final of the 2025 US Open, where he lost to Alcaraz, so he was defending 1300 points. That leaves him on 11,500 points, which still keeps him well clear at No. 1.

There is, however, a chance that Alexander Zverev can trim the gap if he wins the tournament. The German is on 7790 points and is defending only third round points from last year. He will be the top seed alongside Alcaraz.

Sinner’s next expected event after the US Open is the China Open, which starts on September 28th. He won that ATP 500 event last year by beating Learner Tien in the final, so 500 points will be on the line in Beijing.

Novak Djokovic has spoken openly about the “bitterness” he felt after being booed when he retired injured at last year’s Australian Open.

At the 2025 event, the Serbian produced a remarkable quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz. Even with a muscle tear and after dropping the opening set, he found a way to recover and defeat the Spaniard in four sets, a result that moved him into a semi-final meeting with Alexander Zverev.

That effort, however, came at a cost. After a long first set against the German, Djokovic made the decision to stop. The 24-time major winner had already taken the court in Melbourne for the final stage of a campaign that once again showed how much his body had been asked to absorb. As he walked off Rod Laver Arena, the reaction from the crowd was hostile despite his record of 10 Australian Open titles. Djokovic answered with a sarcastic thumbs-up.

The episode carried added weight because of what had happened three years earlier. In 2022, he was deported from Australia after losing a court bid to remain in the country for the tournament in Melbourne. The government cancelled his visa on “health and good order” grounds after judges rejected his challenge, linked to his decision not to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

In his new ‘The Wolf in Winter’ documentary, Djokovic described that ruling as “so political”. He later won in 2023, and said the emotion and tension came out in tears. But the difficult reception in 2025 reopened old wounds.

He said in the documentary, “I felt bitterness when I was exiting the court with that atmosphere and people booing. But it is what it is. In some way I understand that people want a match; they’ve paid for the tickets, they want to come and see you perform – I get it.

“I know in my heart if I am able to leave it all out there on the court, particularly aged 37 in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, I would do it because it might be the last semi-final of my career, I don’t know.

“If I feel like it’s not possible to do what I do on the level that is necessary to be able to play five sets potentially then I am not going to do it, as simple as that. I don’t expect all the people to understand that.”

In an interview with 9 News Australia this week, Djokovic said he holds “many more positives” than negatives from his time in Australia. He added that even after the “difficult and challenging” events of 2022, he did not “hold any grudges”, describing the experience as valuable and saying he always looks forward to returning.