One of the storylines leading into the US Open was whether Carlos Alcaraz would make his long-awaited return to action. The Spaniard is certainly pleased that the answer has turned out to be “yes”.
“My team and me, [we] believe that I'm ready. It wasn't an easy decision,” Alcaraz said. “I just did whatever it took to be ready. I just tried to do everything perfect on and off the court, to feel ready, really long practices, really intense practices, just to see how my wrist is going to react on the practices and after [those] really long days.”
The season’s final Grand Slam tournament will be the second seed’s first event since Barcelona in April. Plagued by a wrist injury, the Spaniard has been forced to sit on the sidelines for four months.
“The first month was kind of difficult for me, because I couldn't do anything with my right arm. It was tough. But at the same time, I enjoyed my time,” Alcaraz said. “I enjoyed my time with family, with friends, staying at home. But once I started to practise a little bit, I didn't know when I [was] going to start, [those] thoughts are really difficult to deal with, because I didn't know if I [was] going to be ready for Cincinnati, for US Open, or [if I was] going miss the whole American swing.”
When dealing with a longterm injury, some players look to change their game to accommodate the injury. The 23-year-old said he will not be changing his technique.
“No, not at all. I have been doing the same things. I didn't change anything about technique, [about] movement, about the way that I'm going to play,” Alcaraz said. “I just wanted to feel like I'm going to be myself. And I think that's important.”
Most importantly, Alcaraz is back in the thick of the action. It is fitting that he is playing at Flushing Meadows, where in 2022 he claimed major glory for the first time and became the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings.
Alcaraz is also the defending champion in New York, where he earlier in the week competed alongside Serena Williams in mixed doubles. The Spaniard will face Roman Safiullin in the first round.
“I [am] just coming here with kind of that similar feelings of I need competition. I need to come here to practise with these guys, to feel the competition once again, and this is really testing,” Alcaraz said. “But I'm feeling great, and just I think that injury helped me a lot to know right now that it's all in my head. I’ve got to trust my team, I’ve got to trust my people that tell me it's going to be fine.
“So I just have to go 100 per cent, and right now I think with the practice I have made so far, it's been all good. So trying to stay away from that fear, and I'm playing normal.”
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