The US Open will have at least one of the two titans in men’s tennis.
Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, said in a social media post Thursday that he will make his return to tennis at the 2026 US Open after a four-month absence.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion—and the defending US Open champion—has not played since the Barcelona Open in April, and missed the last two Grand Slams (Roland-Garros and Wimbledon) with a wrist injury.
All eyes now turn to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose status for the final Grand Slam on the calendar is still unclear. The five-time Grand Slam winner withdrew from the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open—two Masters 1000 tournaments—in recent weeks, and has not played since winning Wimbledon in July due to a knee injury.
Alcaraz and Sinner are widely viewed as the favorites in every tournament they compete in, and have split 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev was able to break through and win his first Grand Slam at the French Open in June with Alcaraz missing and Sinner falling in the early rounds.
The announcement of Alcaraz’s return hasn’t had any immediate effect on US Open ticket prices. The average get-in price across all two main draw weeks for the US Open is $286 on secondary markets, up 13% from the same point last year, according to TicketData.
The US Open main draw starts Aug. 30, while the qualifying week begins Aug. 24.
The Queen in Queens
Serena Williams is also making her return in Queens alongside Alcaraz. The two will pair in the mixed doubles event next week, according to Bounces.
It’s still unclear if Williams will also compete in singles or women’s doubles competition.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner made her return to tennis in June, after last competing at the 2022 US Open.
Williams competed in a handful of WTA doubles events before returning to singles action after receiving a wild card at Wimbledon. After a three-set loss to Maya Joint in London, Williams withdrew from a doubles match with her sister, Venus, citing a knee injury sustained during singles action. The duo has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together between 2001 and 2016.
The US Open doubles wild cards have not yet been announced. Serena and Venus received a doubles wild card to the Cincinnati Open, but lost their opening round match Monday against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.
Venus has already received a singles wild card entry to the US Open, but Serena has not been announced. One main draw wild card spot is available.
