Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open due to an ongoing wrist injury, organisers said on Tuesday, casting fresh doubts over the Spaniard’s fitness ahead of ‌his U.S. Open title defence this month.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion has been sidelined since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open second round in April but had been set to return at the August 13-23 ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which he won last year.

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open due to an ongoing wrist injury, organisers said on Tuesday, casting fresh doubts over the Spaniard’s fitness ahead of ‌his U.S. Open title defence this month.

The seven-times Grand Slam champion has been sidelined since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open second round in April but had been set to return at the August 13-23 ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which he won last year.

Alcaraz won last year’s Cincinnati title after world number one Jannik Sinner retired ⁠from the final, and carried the momentum to Flushing Meadows where he won his second U.S. Open crown after his triumph in 2022.

Alcaraz began the season by claiming ⁠the Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. In his absence, Sinner successfully defended his ⁠Wimbledon title and took his major tally to five.

The U.S. Open gets underway on August 30.