Carlos Alcaraz admits doubts about wrist despite US Open victory: I wondered if I could last

Carlos Alcaraz made a triumphant return to Grand Slam singles action at the US Open, defeating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday. But the defending champion admitted there were moments he wasn’t sure if his wrist and body would carry him through his first competitive singles match in more than four months.

The second seed has not played a singles match at tournament level since April after a wrist injury forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon. Alcaraz said after the victory over Safiullin long awaited return there was a lot of uncertainty.

“It’s been a really tough four or five months for me. Being able to come here at the US Open and compete again, I couldn’t have decided to come back to a better tournament than here in New York,” Alcaraz said. “It’s a really special place and a special tournament for me. I’m trying to enjoy it as much as I can. I missed it. I missed the crowd and the competition.”

The Spaniard admitted that his biggest concern going into the match was not his tennis, but whether his wrist and fitness could withstand the demands of a Grand Slam match.

ALCARAZ HAS DOUBTS ABOUT WRIST

“The big question mark was how I was going to feel physically and how the wrist was going to hold up during the match,” he said. “There were some doubts during the match, I’m not going to lie. I was wondering if I could last four or five sets.”

These concerns never became a major issue at trial. Alcaraz dealt with Safiullin’s pressure, recovering from an early break in the second set and eventually closing out the match in straight sets.

“I’m really, really happy with the level I played in my first game, my first official game since being out for four or five months,” he said. “I’m really proud of it. But I need more matches and more battles. I need to get back into the rhythm of tournaments and matches.”

MENTAL TEST PASSED

For Alcaraz, getting over the nerves and uncertainty was almost as important as the result itself. After such a long layoff, the defending champion was pleased with how he dealt with the doubts that inevitably came with his comeback.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to get better and better every day. But the thing I’m most proud of is that mentally I was able to deal with everything — the nerves, the doubts in my head — and just keep at it. I’m really proud of that.”

Alcaraz will face Portugal’s Jaime Faria in the second round. Faria defeated American Jenson Brooksby in his opening bout and now awaits the defending champion as Alcaraz continues his title defense in New York.

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Published on:

1 Sep 2026 07:34 IST