In his pre-tournament news conference in Toronto on Sunday, Nadal said a recurring foot issue he has been dealing with since 2005 returned at the French Open, where he fell to eventual champion Djokovic in the semi-finals.
At 27, the second seed is still seeking his first Grand Slam title and hopes to become the first German man to win the Australian Open since Boris Becker in 1996.
Alcaraz returns to action at this week's Cincinnati Open, where he can gain ground on the Serb and Italian Jannik Sinner.
The 32-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion has not played singles since losing in the Australian Open first round in January.
Defending champion Djokovic fired his 15th ace on match point to defeat Querrey but his serve had been an issue earlier in their second-round encounter.
Novak Djokovic overcame a battling Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his sixth Cincinnati Masters final on Saturday while Roger Federer enjoyed a less-taxing route to the title match after his semi-final opponent David Goffin retired with a shoulder injury.
Reader Anand Nijampurkar sent us this picture from Cincinnati.
Sinner won in Cincinnati this week to claim his fifth title of a breakout season before the revelation that he avoided a ban over two positive tests
Ashleigh Barty stunningly lost her chance to regain the number one world ranking when the Australian was beaten in straight sets by Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Reader Anand Nijampurkar sent us this picture from Cincinnati.
Contenders lurk around every corner in New York, as a gruelling year has left the title vulnerable for those hoping to capture a maiden major title.
Iga Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample in August but the ITIA accepted that it was caused by contamination of her medication melatonin.
Madison Keys is the second-oldest woman to claim her first Australian Open singles title in the Open era.
Roger Federer's hopes of adding to his record Grand Slam haul got a boost as he beat Spain's David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to win the Western and Southern Open title in Cincinnati on Sunday in the last key U.S. Open tune-up event.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champion, will need to shake off a run of poor form if he is to mount a challenge.
After successfully defending her Australian Open trophy in January, Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open crown in September for her third Grand Slam title.
Mardy Fish quit in the third set because of a back injury, allowing Andre Agassi to advance to the second round.
Frances Tiafoe sees huge strides for American men after another deep US Open run. The ebullient fan favourite was already looking to the future.
World men's number one Jannik Sinner has been cleared of fault or negligence by an independent tribunal after failing two drug tests in March, the International Tennis Integrity Authority (ITIA) said on Tuesday.
Reader Viju Kulkarni Patil sent us a picture of Mahesh Bhupati from the USA.
Sinner's ban began on February 9 and will end on May 4 while he can return to training on April 13. The French Open main draw is scheduled to begin on May 25.
World number four Stan Wawrinka has withdrawn from this month's Rogers Cup in Montreal and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati due to a knee injury, the Swiss said on Wednesday.
Fifth seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were eliminated from the ATP Cincinnati Masters following their defeat to Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Reader Brahmanandam Somanchi sent us this picture from Cincinnati.
Reader Rahul Rodrigues sent us this picture from Cincinnati.
Asra Hussain Raza, a 26-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, was among the 67 people killed in a tragic midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner at Ronald Reagan National Airport in the US. The collision, the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001, happened when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with the Army helicopter as it approached the airport on Wednesday night. Raza, a consultant, graduated with honors from Indiana University and married her college sweetheart in August 2023.
Novak Djokovic wore down Lucas Pouille after an even first set, dispatching the Frenchman 7-6(2), 6-1 in a Cincinnati Masters quarter-final in Ohio on Friday.
The 30-year-old said she was more nervous before facing world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, a match she won in straight sets.
Leander Paes and Stanislas Wawrinka shocked 2014 Wimbledon champions Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-3 to make it to the doubles quarter-finals at the ATP Masters Western and Southern Open, in Cincinnati, on Tuesday.
Maria Sharapova battled to a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory over in-form Russian compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the second round of the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday.
The Indian ace was beaten in straight sets by Japan's Akiko Morigami.
World No 55 Haase improved to a 2-2 career record against Zverev, including victories in their last two meetings.
Aryna Sabalenka's return to top spot in the WTA rankings after leapfrogging Iga Swiatek has set up a thrilling end to the season, with next month's WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia likely to prove decisive in the race to end the year as world number one.
In the semi-finals, Federer beat holder Andy Murray 6-2, 7-6 while a rejuvenated Djokovic hammered former world number one Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4.
Serena Williams rallied past Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki on Saturday to reach the Western and Southern Open final in Cincinnati where she will face Ana Ivanovic, an upset winner over French Open champion Maria Sharapova.
The gap between the leading four, which also contains Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray, and the chasing pack was again evident as Djokovic beat Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-2 before Federer saw off fellow-Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6, 6-3.
Third seed Alexander Zverev produced a near-flawless display to outclass former champion Holger Rune 6-3 7-6(4) on Saturday and return to the Paris Masters final after a gap of four years.
Iga Swiatek has been not been at her world-beating best in the months leading up to the U.S. Open but the Pole has both the talent and mentality to lift her game for the final Grand Slam of the year, tennis great Chris Evert said.
Novak Djokovic's bid to add a 100th singles title to his trophy cabinet on Sunday was dashed after he was beaten 7-6(4), 6-3 by world number one Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday.
American Madison Keys overcame late leads by Svetlana Kuznetsova in both sets to defeat the Russian for the Cincinnati Masters title on Sunday.
