Carlos Alcaraz's Cincinnati Open Withdrawal Creates New Problems

Carlos Alcaraz will miss the Cincinnati Open, impacting the rest of his season and 2027.

Carlos Alcaraz will miss the 2026 Cincinnati Open. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The long-awaited return of Carlos Alcaraz to the ATP Tour must go on longer. On Tuesday night, tournament organizers issued a press release announcing that Alcaraz would not compete in this year's Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000 Cincinnati).

"We know Carlos is doing everything he can to get back to playing tournaments as soon as possible," said Tournament Director Bob Moran. "We wish him the best with his recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to Cincinnati in the future."

This means Alcaraz has now missed every tournament since the Barcelona Open. Unfortunately for the Spanish superstar, missing this tournament will impact the rest of his season. Below are five ways that missing the Cincinnati Open hurts Alcaraz in 2026 (and beyond).

No Cincinnati Title Defense

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. | IMAGO / PsnewZ

There will be a new champion in Cincinnati this year. Last year, Jannik Sinner retired during his match against Alcaraz in the final. Alcaraz looked stronger than Sinner on the court, and it carried on to the 2025 U.S. Open. Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, and Taylor Fritz are just a few of the players whose draw just got easier.

Lost Points in ATP Rankings

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. | IMAGO / PsnewZ

Alcaraz will drop another 1,000 points when he misses the Cincinnati Open. When he first suffered his wrist injury in April, it felt like he was dropping an insurmountable amount of points on clay. Fast forward four months, and we are really panicking.

Drop in ATP Rankings

Alexander Zverev at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Earlier this week, Alcaraz surpassed Zverev in the ATP Rankings to briefly reclaim World No. 2. That was due to a scheduling quirk with the Canadian Open this year. But after Montreal and Cincinnati, Zverev will have a strong lead over Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings.

Drop in US Open Draw

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 U.S. Open. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Alcaraz is able to return to play at the U.S. Open, he will not be the second seed. That means a much more challenging path to the final for the defending champion. Returning to play in a Major after four months off is tough for any player, even for a seven-time Grand Slam champion.

Race to Turin and 2027

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 ATP Finals. | IMAGO / LaPresse

Sinner and Zverev are running away from Alcaraz in the Race to Turin. In fact, Flavio Cobolli is currently just 620 points behind Alcaraz in the yearly rankings. Of course, the yearly rankings will reset after the calendar year. However, Alcaraz losing points now will impact him well into 2027.

Alcaraz has a singles record of 22-3 with two singles titles. The Cincinnati Open runs from August 8-23. After that, the season hits a crescendo at the U.S. Open.

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