Carlos Alcaraz is expected to return to tennis on North American hard courts later this year.
The world number two suffered a wrist injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open in April.
Alcaraz subsequently withdrew from the Madrid Open, Italian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.
Is it time to start panicking about Carlos Alcaraz?
He's out of another Grand Slam…
His countryman, Rafael Nadal, has now predicted what will happen when he finally returns to tennis.
Rafael Nadal expects Carlos Alcaraz to return ‘strong’ later this year
As reported by ‘Eurosport‘, Nadal shared his thoughts on Alcaraz.
“Carlos [Alcaraz] will return from the injury; he’ll return strong, because he’s too good for it to be any other way,” said Nadal (translated from Spanish).
Nadal continued, delivering his verdict on several promising Spanish stars.
“Rafa Jodar has made a very strong climb in the rankings this year. Only someone with great talent can do something like that,” he said.
“Obviously, there’s Carlos.
“And also Martin Landaluce, the academy player, who is making very important strides this year. He has progressed tremendously in recent months.”
Nadal is expecting big things from Rafael Jodar and Martin Landaluce, who both impressed on clay this season.
“Carlos is already one of the best players in history. And with the others, we’ll have to wait and see. Although we already know they are very good,” he said.
Spanish players in the ATP top 100
| Spanish rank | ATP Rank | Name | 2026 Highlights |
| 1 | 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Completed Career Grand Slam at Australian Open, won Qatar Open |
| 2 | 22 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | Adelaide International semi-finalist |
| 3 | 23 | Rafael Jodar | Won first ATP title in Morocco, reached quarter-finals in Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros |
| 4 | 44 | Jaume Munar | Rotterdam Open quarter-finalist |
| 5 | 58 | Martin Landaluce | Miami Open/Italian Open quarter-finalist |
| 6 | 71 | Pablo Carreno Busta | French Open fourth round |
| 7 | 82 | Daniel Merida | Madrid Open third round |
Spanish tennis is in a great place, even without Alcaraz.
Jodar, 19, and Landaluce, 20, have both impressed at the Masters 1000 level this year, and the former reached the quarter-finals of Roland Garros last time around.
Nadal won five Davis Cup titles during his professional career, teaming up with the likes of David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Fernando Verdasco.
Alcaraz has yet to deliver Spain a Davis Cup title, but with Jodar, Landaluce, and other promising youngsters coming through, it might not be long before they win the ‘World Cup of Tennis’ once more.
When will Carlos Alcaraz return to tennis?
Nadal is confident that Alcaraz will be ‘strong’ when he returns, and that’s all well and good, but when will that be?
The early confirmation of his Wimbledon withdrawal left many concerned that the injury was more serious than it initially looked.
However, David Ferrer recently shared an update on Alcaraz’s condition, confirming he was ‘on the right track’.
That would lead you to believe that Alcaraz will indeed return for the North American hard-court swing.
The Spaniard has only played the Canadian Open twice before, in 2022 and 2023, due to the quick turnaround from Wimbledon, but might pick Montreal as his return venue in 2026.
He would then likely travel to Ohio for the Cincinnati Open before the US Open begins.
Alcaraz is the defending champion in Cincinnati and New York, and will likely need to hold on to his titles if he wants any chance of finishing the year as world number one.
The 23-year-old currently sits third in the ‘Live ATP Race’, behind Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
Live ATP Race
- 1. Jannik Sinner – 5,950 points
- 2. Alexander Zverev – 5,040 points
- 3. Carlos Alcaraz – 3,650 points
- 4. Flavio Cobolli – 2,620 points
- 5. Daniil Medvedev – 2,220 points
He trails Sinner by over 2,000 points already and there’s every chance that gap doubles before he returns.
With that in mind, Alcaraz won’t want to spend any longer on the sidelines than he needs to.
The 2026 Canadian Open begins on Saturday, August 1.
