It feels like some time since we last saw Carlos Alcaraz on court, following his surprise early dismissal from the Shanghai Masters.
His loss at the hands of Zizou Bergs came as a great shock to the tennis world, as his struggles around this period of the season threatened to emerge once again.
Clearly keen to ensure that he does not fall victim to a similar issue at the Paris Masters, Alcaraz has since taken a wildcard at the Vienna Open, where he will play next week.
With that in mind, his plan in the lead-up to this ATP 500 event has been revealed, including two rather star-studded practice partners.
Carlos Alcaraz to practice with Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov in Vienna
According to a report by MARCA, the Spaniard is due to arrive in the Austrian capital today, on Saturday.
However, his early arrival is not for sightseeing, but instead to get straight down to business acclimatising to this new city and its conditions.
He already has a court booked from 5 pm to 7 pm, where he is due to hit with Grigor Dimitrov.
Then, on Sunday, it’s noted that he will train again, this time with the help of the current world number 22, Andrey Rublev.
Alcaraz has not played the Vienna Open since 2021.
The stacked 2026 Vienna Open entry list
What’s particularly remarkable about this year’s Vienna Open is the sheer number of elite-level players they have managed to attract.
Even before Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his attendance via a wildcard, it was already a stellar ATP 500 event.
Now, the player list resembles something closer to a 1000 tournament.
Alexander Zverev will be the top seed, and beyond him there are stars like Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Flavio Cobolli and Daniil Medvedev.
In fact, of those fit and able to play, only three of the current top ten aren’t playing in Vienna.
This competition also has to compete with the Basel Open, which also gave Novak Djokovic a wildcard. He is still chasing an unlikely but still possible qualification for this year’s ATP Finals.