Carlos Alcaraz set to participate in Vienna Open amid late schedule changes

Recent events have seen Carlos Alcaraz change his tennis schedule plans, and he will now compete in the Vienna Open to commence his indoor campaign.

Originally this was not a tournament on the Alcaraz radar. He was supposed to be one of the top players to feature in the Six Kings Slam, but the event has since been postponed and moved to the end of December.

This has opened up some space on his schedule, and the Spaniard has decided not to sit around. Instead, he is raring to get straight back into the action in Austria. A huge boost for the tournament after reigning champion Jannik Sinner pulled out through injury.

Alcaraz returned to the ATP Tour after suffering a spell on the sidelines through a wrist injury. He returned at the US Open where he reached the quarter-finals, losing in a five-set epic against Ben Shelton.

He then chose to return to the Laver Cup, helping Team Europe get their crown back before successfully defending his Japan Open title. He was involved in some tense battles in Tokyo but showed his class in a brilliant title run.

He was unable to produce that same form in a first return to the Shanghai Masters since 2024. However, any chance of sealing a first Masters 1000 triumph in 2026 has been dented with a surprising loss to Zizou Bergs in the third round of the event.

That early exit and the debacle surrounding the Six Kings Slam have led Alcaraz to make the decision to feature on the court earlier in Europe than first anticipated. It will give him that extra boost heading into the Paris Masters and, most importantly, the ATP Finals as he looks to go one-step further than last year and win the title for the very first time.

The tournament director, Herwig Straka, reacted to this news. "Everything happened very quickly after that, and Carlos agreed to come to Vienna without much hesitation. I am delighted that we will be able to welcome him to the Erste Bank Open this year. He is one of the most exciting players and personalities on the ATP Tour and captivates an enormous global fanbase. His commitment is a tremendous honour for our tournament.”

Alcaraz may now be the favourite in the Austrian capital, but he will not be the No.1 seed. That goes the way of Alexander Zverev who lost to Sinner in the 2025 final. He is still competing in Shanghai and is in great form.

In total, six top 10 talents have confirmed their intentions of participating. Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe are the other four that will battle out for the title with Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, Tommy Paul, Brandon Nakashima, Andrey Rublev, Lorenzo Musetti, Karen Khachanov and Arthur Fery making up a very strong lineup.

The action will take place from October 26 - November 1 with Alcaraz playing his first match on Tuesday 27th.