Carlos Alcaraz: “Once You Step on the Court… You Want to Win” — Defending Champion Returns Pain-Free to Open 2026 US Open Campaign
His wrist injury kept him off the court for so long that Carlos Alcaraz admitted he had trouble remembering what to do when he finally got back on it.
Playing his first competitive match in 139 days, the 23-year-old Spaniard overcame heavy pre-match nerves inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to defeat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets on Day 2 of the 2026 US Open.
“I kind of forgot what match day looks like,” Alcaraz admitted after his opening-round win. “I didn’t actually remember what I used to do in the warm-up. That’s why I was really nervous, because I just kind of forgot the competition.”
From Rehab Snaps Back to Arthur Ashe Stadium
For nearly four and a half months following his wrist injury in April, Alcaraz existed primarily in social media updates—rehabbing in the gym, mock-serving with a string-less racquet, and eventually returning to practice courts alongside Holger Rune.
On Monday, New York fans caught the seven-time Grand Slam champion back in the flesh as he launched his bid to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open title since Roger Federer won five consecutive crowns between 2004 and 2008.
“I was trying to enjoy it as much as I could, trying not to think about anything else,” Alcaraz reflected. “But it’s easy to say, difficult to do. Once you step on the court, playing an official match, playing the first round, you want to win. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the match after four, four-and-a-half months. You don’t know what’s going to happen in your body, in your mind, everything. It’s totally different.”
Overcoming Pre-Match Jitters for a Pain-Free Win
Alcaraz acknowledged that the anticipation of stepping back onto tennis’ biggest stage brought an unusual wave of pre-match anxiety.
“It was a difficult day for me, to be honest,” he shared. “At the same time, it was a really beautiful one. I started the day really nervous—really, really nervous. I had more nerves than usual. But I’m happy. My goal here is to compete, to enjoy it and to see how my body’s going to react after the matches, after the competition again.”
“I don’t know how far I’m going to go in the tournament, but what I really want to do is enjoy every time that I walk onto the court, feeling the energy from the people, feeling the competition. Walking up, I was thinking, ‘All right, it’s match day!’”
Perhaps the most encouraging sign for the World No. 2 came from his physical condition following the two-hour, 22-minute victory. Alcaraz confirmed that he played without any lingering pain in his right wrist.
“I felt great,” Alcaraz concluded. “I don’t know how it looked from outside, but from inside, my feeling was that I was hitting normal. I was playing pretty normal, playing my style. The arm, the wrist, everything felt great. I’m just really happy it’s pain-free finally.”
