Alcaraz and Sinner facing the impossible at the US Open

Lifting the US Open trophy is not for just anyone, but according to history, winning it without having played either of the two preceding Masters 1000 events is an impossible mission. This is what Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be aiming for in New York: to win the last Grand Slam of the year without playing in Montreal and Cincinnati, a feat that has never been achieved since the creation of the Masters series in 1990.

Both tennis players, as they had already done with Montreal, confirmed their withdrawal from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 (from August 13 to 23). The Spaniard in order to keep gaining weeks to fully recover from his wrist injury, and the Italian due to a problem in his right knee, which is why he has been undergoing tests over the last week. Both the current number one and number two are, in principle, listed for the New York Grand Slam. Although the Spaniard remains somewhat more of a question mark due to his long spell of inactivity.

Little match rhythm

The complexity of winning the US Open without having played either of the two preceding Masters 1000 tournaments can be explained by the lack of match rhythm with which both players will arrive. As for Carlos Alcaraz, the player from Murcia has not played a match since April 14, 2026, the date on which he injured his right wrist in the first round of the Barcelona Open. It has now been 116 days of inactivity for the Spaniard, his longest absence period of his career (not counting the mandatory one due to COVID-19).

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