US Open: Carlos Alcaraz ready to be Carlitos again on return, eyes title defence

Carlos Alcaraz begins his US Open title defence on Monday after a four-month injury lay-off, with questions over how quickly he can rediscover his best form.Carlos Alcaraz returns after four-month injury layoff, targets US Open title defence (Reuters Photo)Carlos Alcaraz is back at the US Open after more than four months on the sidelines, and the Spaniard has made it clear that he does not intend to ease his way into his Grand Slam title defence.A right wrist injury kept Alcaraz out of the French Open and Wimbledon after he was forced to step away from competitive tennis in mid-April. Now, as he prepares to return to singles action in New York, the 23-year-old is confident that fans will see the same player who has collected seven Grand Slam titles."You're going to see Carlitos playing the way he always has," Alcaraz said.Alcaraz will play his first competitive singles match since his injury on Monday. Despite the lengthy break, he says he has not altered his playing mechanics and believes he is physically ready to compete at the highest level. "I need competition," Alcaraz said on Friday. "We, my team and me, believe that I'm ready. It wasn't an easy decision. I just did whatever it took to be ready."The defending champion arrives in New York with expectations already high. Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in last year's US Open final and subsequently moved above the Italian to claim the world No. 1 ranking. However, Sinner will not be around this time after withdrawing from the tournament because of a right knee injury. Alcaraz admitted that facing a US Open without his biggest rival felt unusual."We are not going to see each other for, like, six months now, seven months," Alcaraz said. "It's kind of a weird situation, to be honest."With Sinner absent, Alexander Zverev has moved into the position of top seed. Yet the spotlight remains firmly on Alcaraz, who has already enjoyed a memorable season. He captured his seventh Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open earlier this year after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.American Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed, believes Alcaraz's return will be one of the biggest talking points of the tournament."Everyone is going to be pretty tapped in to see his first match," Tiafoe said. "If he comes back anywhere near his level, it's tough. Regardless, even if he's not at his tip-top shape, you've still got to beat him in five sets."Alcaraz begins his title defence against Roman Safiullin and will immediately face the challenge of best-of-five-set tennis. Unlike a typical Grand Slam build-up, he has had little opportunity to test himself in competitive singles matches before the tournament.He did, however, get some court time in New York by teaming up with Serena Williams for mixed doubles this week, giving him a chance to get accustomed to match conditions.Still, Alcaraz knows that returning directly to a Grand Slam after such a long layoff is far from ideal."It's really challenging," he said. "Probably in terms of preparation and everything, it is not the best time."Despite the difficulties, the prospect of making his comeback at Flushing Meadows was enough to convince him that the US Open was the right place to return."There is no better tournament than the US Open to be back," Alcaraz said.The Spaniard is aware that returning from a lengthy injury absence and immediately winning a Grand Slam is possible. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have previously managed the feat, but Alcaraz does not want to burden himself with similar expectations.Rather than setting a specific target for the tournament, he wants to focus on how his body responds and take each match as it comes."I'm not going to set a limit for myself," Alcaraz said in Spanish. "I don't want to focus on a specific result. I want to focus on the process we've gone through. Just go out there, enjoy it and feel good."Zverev, who suffered a serious right ankle injury four years ago, understands the challenges of returning from a major setback. However, he was cautious about drawing a direct comparison between his injury and Alcaraz's wrist problem."Wrist is never easy," Zverev said. "I expect him to be maybe a bit rusty the first or second match, but once he gets through that, I think he's going to be a contender, for sure, here."For Alcaraz, however, the challenge is not only physical. His time away from tennis also brought a mental battle, with the Spaniard admitting that he had to deal with intrusive thoughts about the injury.As he prepares to compete again, Alcaraz is trying to prevent those fears from affecting his game. His priority is to stay healthy, trust his preparation and allow himself to play freely."I just have to go 100%," Alcaraz said. "I've got to trust my team. I've got to trust my people that tell me that it's going to be fine."After four months away, Alcaraz now has the chance to rediscover his rhythm on the biggest stage. The US Open title defence begins on Monday, and the tennis world will be watching closely to see whether 'Carlitos' can quickly return to his Grand Slam-winning best.- EndsPublished By: Saurabh KumarPublished On: Aug 29, 2026 12:19 IST