Carlos Alcaraz injury update: Why he's missing Montréal Open

Carlos Alcaraz injury update (Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz's return to competitive tennis appears to be moving in the right direction, but not as quickly as many expected. The World No. 2 has been out since suffering a right wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April, forcing him to miss several of the biggest events on the calendar, including Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Now, with his name absent from the National Bank Open entry list in Montréal, fresh questions have emerged over his comeback timeline. Even so, Alcaraz has shared encouraging signs from the practice court, suggesting his recovery continues to progress.

Why is Carlos Alcaraz still missing tournaments despite positive recovery signs?

Carlos Alcaraz has now spent close to four months away from competition after being diagnosed with right wrist tenosynovitis. What was initially expected to be a shorter recovery has stretched well beyond the early estimates, costing him valuable ranking points and leaving uncertainty over when he will compete again.

The latest concern came when the Montréal Masters released its player entry list without the Spaniard's name. The tournament will feature leading players including Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Zverev and defending champion Ben Shelton, but Alcaraz will not be among them if the current list remains unchanged.Despite that setback, the 23-year-old has given fans a reason to stay optimistic.

He recently uploaded videos from a training session on Instagram with the caption, “On the right path” (translated from Spanish). The footage showed him back on court, wearing a protective wrist bandage while working with an unstrung racket frame, a common rehabilitation method that allows players to refine movement and stroke mechanics without placing excessive stress on the injured wrist.

What does his latest training session reveal about his comeback plan?

The latest practice videos indicate that Carlos Alcaraz is steadily increasing his workload instead of rushing into match play.

He has also been seen training without the wrist brace that was part of the early stages of his rehabilitation, another sign that the injury is responding well.

ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.His recovery has followed a cautious plan from the beginning. Rather than setting aggressive return dates, Alcaraz and his team have focused on protecting the wrist for the long term.

The coming weeks are expected to resemble a mini pre-season, combining fitness work, cardiovascular training and progressively tougher tennis sessions before he returns to competition.That measured approach also explains why Montréal appears to have been sacrificed. Instead of returning at a two-week Masters event, the focus has shifted toward being fully prepared for Cincinnati, where he lifted the title last season, before defending his US Open crown.Can Carlos Alcaraz hold on to his World No. 2 ranking?The extended absence has already taken a toll on Carlos Alcaraz's position in the rankings. He has surrendered 4,800 ranking points during his injury layoff and now sits on 8,160 live ranking points. Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, has narrowed the gap to 7,890 after another strong run.The challenge only grows from here. Alcaraz has around 3,000 ranking points to defend during the North American hard-court swing after winning both Cincinnati and the US Open last year.

Returning before he is fully fit could jeopardize the rest of his season, making patience a priority over short-term gains.For now, the signs remain encouraging rather than definitive. Alcaraz is back hitting balls, building fitness and gradually restoring confidence in his wrist. His absence from Montréal may disappoint fans, but it also reinforces the careful strategy guiding his recovery. If the current plan stays on track, Cincinnati is expected to be the tournament where the Spaniard finally begins the next chapter of his 2026 season.