Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed his return to the US Open after a four-month absence from the ATP Tour due to a right wrist injury. The seven-time grand slam champion announced his comeback using football transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano's catchphrase 'here we go' on social media.
Alcaraz's Comeback Announcement
Alcaraz posted on X: 'Here we go' along with the United States flag. Romano then shared on Instagram: 'Here we go! Carlos Alcaraz will return to the tour at the US Open after spending four months sidelined with a right wrist injury. Ready to come back.'
The 23-year-old Spaniard has not played since April due to the ongoing wrist issue, which forced him to miss the defense of his French Open title and Wimbledon. He also pulled out of the Cincinnati Open at the start of August. Alcaraz will step back onto the court at Flushing Meadows later this month.
Record Prize Money at US Open
The US Open has announced a significant increase in prize money for this year's tournament. The overall prize fund of $108m (approximately £80m) is the biggest in the sport's history and represents a 20 per cent rise for the second consecutive year.
Singles champions will each receive $5.5m (approximately £4m), while first-round prize money has been increased to $140,000 (more than £100,000). Tournament organizers hope this will prevent the type of player protests seen at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Player Protests and Advisory Council
A group of leading players, including world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, has been engaged in a behind-the-scenes battle with the major tournaments, dubbed Project RedEye, over the last 18 months regarding prize money and other complaints. At the French Open, they restricted their pre-tournament media to 15 minutes each, and followed suit at Wimbledon despite a 20% increase in prize money.
They cancelled plans to continue their protest during the first week of Wimbledon following discussions. Along with the prize money announcement from New York, the grand slams also jointly confirmed the introduction of a grand slam player advisory council.
One of the players' chief complaints has been the lack of a meaningful say in decision making. The slams said the new council would serve as 'the forum for direct communication, feedback and collaboration between the grand slams and players.' The body will launch following the US Open, which runs from 30 August to 13 September, with interested players invited to apply. It will also be the forum for discussions about contributions to player welfare, which is the third major strand of the players' discontent.
