Carlos Alcaraz offers positive injury update as comeback delayed again

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has been sidelined since 14 April after injuring his right wrist during his first-round victory at the Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz was initially expected to miss only the remainder of the clay-court season, but his recovery has taken longer than expected, forcing him to also withdraw from the Queen's Club Championship and Wimbledon.

The Spaniard's medical team decided against surgery and he spent the first part of his recovery wearing a cast. When he eventually returned to training, he was initially only able to hit shots with his left hand.

However, Alcaraz provided a positive update at the end of June, revealing that he had started using his right hand again during training, although he was not yet hitting at full intensity.

The 23-year-old had been targeting a return at either the Washington Open or Los Cabos, which begin on 27 July, before the Canadian Open emerged as a possible comeback tournament.

But those hopes were dashed on Thursday when the Montreal Masters 1000 event released its entry list, with Alcaraz a notable absentee.

Ahead of that assessment, the Spaniard shared a brief but positive message on Instagram, writing: "On the right path."

The post included 15 images and videos from his training sessions, showing Alcaraz using his right hand again, although he was still avoiding maximum power.

With the Canadian Open now ruled out, the Cincinnati Open is likely to become the next target for his return. The ATP Masters 1000 event runs from 13 to 23 August, ahead of the US Open.

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