Carlos Alcaraz US Open participation in major doubt as reigning champion receives stark health warning

Carlos Alcaraz’s defence of his US Open title may be in major doubt as he has received a stark health warning, which would be the latest piece of bad news in what has become a frustrating 2026.

The Spaniard made a fine start to the 2026 season as he lifted his first-ever Australian Open title, which saw him become the youngest man in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam. Alcaraz also won the Qatar Open, was a runner-up at the Monte Carlo Masters and reached the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters.

However, he would suffer a wrist injury in April which would lead to a frustrating year for the 23-year-old, as he has had to miss out on fighting for the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles.

At present Alcaraz is on the entry list for the US Open, which is set to begin at the end of the month, but after he withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters, his participation in the final Grand Slam of the year is in doubt.

Leading injury prevention and athlete welfare expert Stephen Smith shares these doubts, as he believes that it would be a serious ‘risk’ if Alcaraz were to take part in the US Open, as he explained to Tennis365.

Smith said: “I think the US Open compounds almost every welfare risk at once — extreme heat and humidity in New York, hardest surface in the game, and best-of-five matches that can go four or five hours.

“For a guy that’s been off for a significant period of time, as well, you would expect that he probably would play more sets than he normally would given the talent he has.

“For anyone managing some sort of soft tissue or bone issue, the court surface offers the least protection of any of the majors.

“Given how patient they’ve been, I would be shocked to see him at the US Open.

“If you’re taking that patient approach and you’re progressively building, why throw somebody back in to the hardest thing they might do all year? Surely, you want that to be a progressive build.”

Carlos Alcaraz experiencing 'mental weakness', according to bold claim by Italian medical expert

While Smith believes that Alcaraz may not make an appearance at the US Open due to precaution over the recent injury he suffered to his wrist, with a leading injury prevention and athlete welfare expert believing the Spaniard will remain patient to ensure he is back to his best for the 2027 season.

Now an Italian medical expert has suggested a different reason as to why fans will not see the 23-year-old battling to defend his US Open title.

Gianni Daniele, the Chair of the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission of the Italian Tennis Federation, in a recent interview with La Repubblica suggested the Spaniard is experiencing ‘mental weakness’.

Daniele said: “It’s never been entirely clear what kind of wrist injury Carlos suffered.

“Now there’s a rumour going around that he’s experiencing a sort of mental weakness. Struggling to regain his former intensity, a form of depression has reportedly set in, creating a vicious cycle that prevents him from regaining the same confidence he had in the past.

“Doubts are beginning to take hold in his mind, and it’s a real shame—even for the world No. 1—not to be facing a rival of immense class.”

Neither Alcaraz nor his team has commented, at the time of writing, on the remarks made by Daniele.