“For the common man, no. But if you’re Carlos Alcaraz, you can do whatever you want" - US Open return backed by Steve Johnson despite latest setback

It is set to be another tournament that Carlos Alcaraz will not compete at after the seven-time Grand Slam champion continues to recover from a wrist injury picked up in April. His time away from the spotlight has left a great hole for many with Steve Johnson admitting that he is 'sad' for tennis fans who are currently missing out on seeing him compete with the US Open drawing closer.

After starting the season so well by completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Alcaraz would have a little blip in the Sunshine swing before losing the Monte-Carlo Masters final to Jannik Sinner. His spot as World No.1 was also passed over to his bitter rival.

He would then eye up a chance to get back to winning ways at the Barcelona Open and did so in his first round match. However, a sharp spike of pain in his wrist halted any progress he intended on playing.

With each tournament that next pulled out of, the severity of the injury showed itself. The clay swing had to be postponed followed by a trip to Wimbledon. He joined the likes of Sinner and Novak Djokovic in not turning up at the Canadian Open before his latest withdrawal comes in the form of the Cincinnati Open, where he is the reigning champion.

This is a huge cause for concern. Despite having shown videos of himself back competing on court, the 23-year-old is running out of time to get back to full fitness ahead of a highly anticipated US Open title defence. He will be determined to clinch back his crown, but the odds are stacked against him thanks to Sinner's form and his lack of match time.

Alcaraz's absence has left the ATP Tour not the same. Sinner has taken the reigns in dominant fashion while that special rivalry between the pair has been put on hold. Other players have tried to step up to the mark but aside from Alexander Zverev's Roland Garros title, none of them can say they have lived up to the high standards Alcaraz has set.

His US Open involvement is currently very much up in the air as Johnson reacted to this latest withdrawal. “I’m just a bit sad for all the tennis fans out there,” Johnson said on the Tennis Channel while doing punditry duties.

“We want to see Carlos back – tennis is better when he is out there and competing. But look, there are good signs. You can see him moving in some of these videos that he’s posting, it’s getting closer and closer. But you’ve got to just be so careful with the right wrist injury for Carlos. He’s so young, still so much life ahead of him on tour. So you can’t rush it back, but I really hope he’s back for the [US] Open.”

Alcaraz will be doing all he can to make a return to Flushing Meadows, with the motivation of making it a triumphant one. However, the best-of-five set format stacks heavily against someone who has not played a match in over four months come the start of the major event.

While it may not seem like the wisest idea on paper, the American had the belief that Alcaraz was the man to make that return possible. “For the common man, no [I would not advise them to return for the US Open]. But if you’re Carlos Alcaraz, you can do whatever you want. If there’s somebody that could do it, I believe it’s him,” Johnson stated.

“But you just got to be super smart because that’s his moneymaker – that right wrist, that forehand, that serve, the power that he can generate. So unless he is 100 percent healthy and feels that he can finish the tournament, seven matches, best three out of five, then he shouldn’t play, which is not what you want to hear as a tennis fan.”

A two-time champion, the Spaniard won his first Grand Slam title in North America as a 19-year-old, firmly living up to the hype and delivering on the big stage against the more experienced Casper Ruud. He again won it last year in an inspired display against a hapless Sinner. His chances of defending the title and 2,000 ranking points are still uncertain but he will do all he can to get back to the top.