Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed his injury lay-off has been extended to include the Canadian Open event next month, but there are now growing concerns that he may not play again in 2026.

Tennis365 broke the news earlier this week that Alcaraz’s recovery from a wrist injury is progressing at a slower pace than he hoped.

The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion has been out of action since injuring his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April, forcing him to pull out of the French Open and Wimbledon.

The haste of his decision to pull out of two successive Grand Slam events heightened fears that the injury was a lot more serious than his team initially suggested.

That now appears to have been confirmed after Alcaraz’s team released footage of a very gentle practice for the player who will slip down to No 3 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.

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The footage showing Alcaraz pushing gently at the ball in what appeared to be very early stages of his recovery made the prospect of him returning to play at next month’s Cincinnati Masters and then the US Open seem distant.

The level of load Alcaraz will need to put through his wrist when he returns to action will need to be increased several times over before he can consider a return to action.

The images released by Alcaraz would appear to show a player at the start of a long road back to recovery, with a comeback date in the final weeks of this year more likely.

However, there have been some more optimistic updates in recent days, with a report in La Verdad claiming the seven-time Grand Slam winner “may receive final clearance in the coming days to return to training at 100% in El Palmar next Monday”.

The report adds: “The Murcia-born player is due to undergo a final medical check-up next Friday. Barring any last-minute complications, everything seems to suggest that Alcaraz could be given the all-clear to return to training and begin preparing for the hard-court tour.”

The Cincinnati Masters in mid-August is the next possible comeback event for Alcaraz and he will be eager to get back into action as his long absence is now having an inevitable impact on his ranking.

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Alcaraz will slip down to No 3 in the rankings on Monday after Alexander Zverev’s run to his first Wimbledon final.

And with Alcaraz looking to defend 3,000 ranking points from his wins at the Cincinnati Masters and US Open last year, he could fall further down the rankings if he cannot play against for the rest of 2026.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz’s next event now touted after confirming he won’t play the Canadian Open