Carlos Alcaraz returns. Carlos Alcaraz wins. Carlos Alcaraz smiles. The Spaniard returned this Monday from the longest injury layoff of his career with a victory at the US Open. 139 days have passed since his last match, but everything remains the same.
“It’s great to be back again. New York is a special place for me, and I love competing in this atmosphere and in front of this crowd,” Alcaraz said in New York after defeating Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the final Grand Slam of the season.
“I felt good physically, and I’m glad I was able to win in straight sets. I’m happy with the match, with how I managed it mentally, and to be winning again. They say playing tennis is like riding a bike. I think I can raise my level, but I’m happy with what I delivered out there today,” added the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
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Far from his absolute best version, the world No. 3 simply did what he had to do: win, get a feel for the ball again, regain his muscle memory, connect with the crowd. Be Carlos Alcaraz again.
Perhaps that was the most important aspect of his return. Not the scoreline, nor even the level of tennis. After more than four months out of competition, Alcaraz needed to walk out onto a packed court, feel the tension of an official match, find his rhythm, suffer a little, smile a little, and head home knowing that his right wrist had responded. Knowing that the injury that kept him out of the most crucial stretch of the season—depriving him of Roland Garros and Wimbledon—is finally behind him.
Everything else will follow. Because Alcaraz’s return cannot be understood solely through the lens of his injury; it must also be viewed in light of everything that happened while he was away. In 139 days, the tennis landscape has shifted multiple times. Jannik Sinner, his major generational rival and Wimbledon champion, is absent from New York due to injury. Novak Djokovic continues to send signals of exhaustion—the latest coming this Sunday at the US Open. And Alexander Zverev, who shed his major curse at Roland Garros, looks like a shadow of himself during this American hard-court swing.
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If Alcaraz’s comeback at the US Open initially felt like a gamble, no one can count him out of the title conversation now. The opportunity opens up for him to instantly reclaim part of that lost time.
Beating Safiullin does not answer every question, but it eliminates one of the most vital ones: he can compete again. Now he will have to discover how long it takes to compete as Alcaraz once more.
From here on, the hard work begins. His body will have to handle increasingly demanding matches. His wrist will have to endure hours of competition and consecutive days on court. And Alcaraz will have to test how far he can go in a tournament that shows no mercy to a lack of match sharpness. The first step has been taken: 139 days later, everything remains the same.
