This close: Carlos Alcaraz return in sight as he enters Cincinnati Open field

The seven-time Grand Slam winner last played a match on the ATP Tour on 14 April when he won his opening match at the Barcelona Open, but his win over Otto Virtanen was a bittersweet one as he picked up a wrist injury during the encounter.

He withdrew from the tournament the following day and was subsequently also forced to miss the remainder of the clay-court season, which included the Madrid Open, Italian Open and his French Open title defence - and the grass-court campaign comprising of the Queen's Club Championship and Wimbledon.

And there is no doubt that his absence was felt on the tour with two-time Roland Garros finalist Alex Corretja saying: "Not having Carlos on the courts is hell. We've lost some of our magic, our essence."

There were high hopes he would make an appearance at the Canadian Open, which gets underway on 3 August, but his name was missing from the entry list, which raised concerns that he could miss the remainder of the 2026 season.

But those fears have now been allayed as the Cincinnati Open organisers have revealed their player fields and Alcaraz's name is on the men's list.

In fact, renowned tennis coach Rick Macci praised his decision to take the "long road" to recovery as the American stated: "Playing the long game with this injury was beyond smart.

"Once he returns and feels it and deals it in live action, his comeback will gain traction."

The Spaniard is the defending champion as he won the title last year when Jannik Sinner retired due to illness with the score 5-0 in Alcaraz's favour. He then went on to win a second US Open title also beating Sinner in the final.

Although organisers are confident that Alcaraz will play by confirming his name on the entry list, the 23-year-old is yet to officially reveal his return date as his team have vowed not to take any risks with his injury.

The Spaniard has dropped nearly 5,000 ranking points during his four-month enforced absence, resulting in a drop from No 2 to No 3 in the ATP Rankings with Alexander Zverev moving ahead of him after Wimbledon.

It does mean he will be seeded third for his title defence and could potentially face Sinner in the semi-final and Zverev in the final.

The Cincinnati Open is likely to be his only event before the US Open with the season-ending Grand Slam - where he is also the defending champion - starting on 30 August at Flushing Meadows in New York.

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