Carlos Alcaraz has returned to competition in time to defend his US Open title. The Spaniard missed almost five months because of an injury to his right wrist. New York will be his first tournament since April, so his opening matches will test both his tennis and his physical condition.
A strong season stopped without warning
Alcaraz began 2026 with a 22-3 match record. He won the Australian Open and the tournament in Doha. The Australian Open victory also completed his career Grand Slam. At 22, he became the youngest man to win a singles title at all four major tournaments.
His last competitive appearance came in Barcelona on April 14. He defeated Otto Virtanen in the first round, but the wrist problem then forced him to withdraw. That decision started a long period without official matches. He missed the rest of the clay season, the grass season and the first North American hard-court events.
The break changed the shape of his year. Before the injury, Alcaraz had played six tournaments and had already collected two important titles. After the injury, his team had to replace the normal tournament schedule with recovery work. The main goal was to restore full movement in the wrist before increasing the speed and weight of his shots.
New York offers a demanding return
Alcaraz enters the US Open as the defending champion. He defeated Jannik Sinner in the 2025 final and left New York as world No. 1. Sinner later regained the leading ranking, but he will not play this year because of a knee injury. Alexander Zverev therefore leads the men’s draw, while Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed.
Roman Safiullin is Alcaraz’s first-round opponent. Safiullin also missed part of the season, which makes the match difficult to predict. Alcaraz has more power and more variety, but he must quickly recover the timing that usually comes from regular competition. Long rallies will show whether he can trust the wrist when he is pushed wide or forced to defend.
The draw may become harder later. Ben Shelton could wait in the quarterfinals if both players advance. Shelton has produced a strong hard-court summer and can shorten points with his serve. Alcaraz would need clean returns and calm service games to stop that kind of opponent from controlling the pace.
The first week is about control
A five-month break creates questions that practice cannot answer. Match pressure changes footwork, decision-making and recovery between points. Alcaraz does not need to play his most spectacular tennis in the opening round. He needs to keep the wrist comfortable, choose safe targets and avoid turning every rally into a test of maximum power.
His movement can reduce the load on his arm. When Alcaraz reaches the ball early, he can use his whole body and strike from a balanced position. When he is late, the wrist must do more work. A high first-serve percentage would also help because it would give him shorter points and fewer defensive exchanges.
There is no doubt about his ability on the New York courts. He has already won the tournament twice and understands the noise of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The open question is how quickly his body can adjust to best-of-five-set tennis. A simple opening performance would be more valuable than a match filled with difficult highlights.
Recovery between rounds will be part of the test. A normal tournament gives a player recent evidence about how the body responds after a long match. Alcaraz does not have that information yet. His team will monitor the wrist after practice and competition, while also managing the rest of his body after months without repeated match loads. The day between singles rounds should help, but the work done on those days must remain controlled.
Alcaraz returns with a major title to defend and with limited recent evidence about his form. That makes his campaign one of the central stories of the tournament. Every round will provide a clearer answer about his recovery, but the first task is direct: finish the opening match healthy and build from there.
