Carlos Alcaraz wasted little time making himself the man of the moment at Flushing Meadows, returning to the tennis court for the first time in more than four months to deliver an impressive three-set defeat of Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. And he enjoyed every second of it.
Winning a marathon rally towards the end of the first set in his opening singles match at the 2026 US Open, he couldn’t help but crack a smile. The Alcaraz that fans had come to know in years past was back, re-emerging after months of hibernation following a wrist injury in April.
“It’s been a really tough five months for me, so to be able to step into Arthur Ashe [Stadium] and be able to compete again… as I said before the tournament, I couldn’t have decided to come back at a better tournament, here at the US Open, here in New York,” Alcaraz said.
“It’s a really special place for me, a special tournament for me,” added the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion. “I tried to enjoy as much as I can. I missed the crowd, the energy, the competition. I missed everything, so I’m just really happy I was able to compete again.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/us-open-2026-carlos-alcaraz-victorious-men-tennis-return
