reese’s pieces

“Carlos Alcaraz is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. After almost four months away from competition due to the right wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open (Conde de Godó), the tennis player from Murcia is facing the decisive phase of his recovery with a very clear objective: to return to the courts at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, the last major warm-up tournament before the US Open.

The latest news from the world number two's camp is encouraging. Although Carlitos is not on the official list for the Canadian Masters 1000 , an absence that initially raised concerns among fans and experts, the decision is the result of a carefully designed medical and athletic plan. There have never been any shortened timelines, and there won't be now, when the worst is over.

Alcaraz's team has chosen to focus all their efforts on arriving in the best possible condition for Cincinnati, a tournament that begins in mid-August. Before that, he will need to be medically cleared, and the plan is for Dr. Ángel Ruiz-Cotorro to grant it this week. He saw him last Friday in Barcelona, and the impressions were very positive. The wrist is healthy, completely healed, and they will gradually increase the training load.

From the outset, both the player and his team emphasized that the absolute priority was to avoid any relapses that could jeopardize the rest of the season or even pose a serious problem for the future.

During these months, the work has been constant, although away from the spotlight. In the first phase, rest and specific treatment for the wrist predominated. Later, physical exercises, continuous running , and track movements without putting stress on the injured joint began. Controlled drills followed, and in recent weeks, training with a higher intensity has commenced, although still under medical supervision.

The decision to also withdraw from Montreal fits perfectly within that conservative strategy. The schedule left little room between his return to competitive play and the start of the Canadian tournament, so the risk of returning without sufficient match fitness was high. Cincinnati, a tournament that begins on August 13 (in exactly one month), offers a much more favorable scenario to gauge the true state of Alcaraz's wrist.

The tennis player from Murcia wants to be at the US Open. And his goal is to return to fight for the title in New York. He knows that playing several high-level matches beforehand in Cincinnati would be the best possible preparation. However, no one on the Murcia team wants to set a definitive date until they've confirmed that the wrist responds without discomfort to high-intensity training. The next two weeks will be crucial, and medical clearance will depend on his daily progress, without taking unnecessary risks. For Ruiz-Cotorro, the diagnostic tests are just as important as how Alcaraz feels when he starts hitting the ball hard again.

Whatever the case, Alcaraz remains eager to compete again. After a long absence, the player from El Palmar is confident that Cincinnati will mark the beginning of a new chapter in a season that started brilliantly before injury halted his progress. If everything goes according to plan, the US Masters 1000 will be the stage chosen for the highly anticipated return of one of the biggest stars in world tennis.”

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