US OPEN – New York. By Leo Canaparo. Photo courtesy USTA
Carlos Alcaraz made his return to the ATP Tour in the biggest possible setting, the US Open, defeating Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 without showing any significant problems from the right wrist injury that had kept him away from competition since mid-April.
Alcaraz gradually settled into the match and displayed the complete range of skills that has made him one of the most popular players in New York and on the Tour. He earned the victory with a solid and convincing performance.
The 23-year-old Spanish star left a very positive physical impression and produced several brilliant shots after spending 139 days on the sidelines because of the right wrist injury.
“I’m very happy with the level I played at in my first official match in more than four months,” he said after the victory. “I’m proud, but I need more matches to get back into the rhythm of tournaments, and I’m sure I will continue improving.”
After painful absences from Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Alcaraz was eager to resume his remarkable winning run in Grand Slam tournaments, which has now reached 15 consecutive victories.
That streak began with his triumph in New York last year and continued with his Australian Open title in February, making him the youngest player ever to hold all four Grand Slam titles.
The Spaniard took on the risks of returning at a Grand Slam tournament, with the physical demands of competing in best-of-five-set matches.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that mentally I was able to deal with the nerves and the doubts in my head and keep moving forward,” he explained.
“There were some doubts before the match, I’m not going to lie. Whether I would be able to last through a five-set match, I didn’t know,” he said. “But I tried to forget everything, enjoy myself and do the things I had to do. I thought about letting myself go and seeing what happened in the match, and it worked out very well.”
Alcaraz is now a clear contender for the title following the injury withdrawal of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic’s elimination in his opening match on Sunday.
His next opponent will be Portugal’s Jaime Faria, ranked No. 72 in the world, whom he has never faced before.