Alcaraz weighs Winston-Salem Wild Card for the wrist

Carlos Alcaraz is weighing a wild card for the ATP 250 in Winston-Salem, from August 22 to 29, the last tournament before the US Open. The idea, reported by the Spanish newspaper La Verdad, comes after his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters 1000, announced on August 4 over the right wrist problem that has sidelined him since April.

The world No. 2 hasn't played since the Barcelona Open, where he retired before the second round. He then skipped Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and at Cincinnati he would have been defending the title he won in 2025. At the US Open too, which starts August 30, he has last year's ranking points to defend, his second New York title after the one in 2022.

At Winston-Salem he'd be looking for a few real matches to see how the wrist responds, rather than showing up at a Slam after months without official matches. According to La Verdad, his team has considered the idea and the option remains open, but no decision has been made. Alcaraz's name isn't on the entry list, and the tournament still has four wild cards to hand out.

He's played Winston-Salem only once, in 2021. He was 18, seeded 15th, and lost in the semifinals to Mikael Ymer, 7-5, 6-3. Five years on he'd return with seven Slam titles to his name and four months without a match, to play a few trial sets at a 250 in the week before defending his title in New York.