NEW YORK CITY: 4 months is a very long time in tennis.Since Carlos Alcaraz injured his proper wrist in a fateful second in mid-April, the boys’s tour, just like the swirling seasons, has modified. Alexander Zverev gained his first Grand Slam title at 29 throughout a fortnight when temperatures soared at Roland Garros, whereas world No. 1 Jannik Sinner defended his Wimbledon title. Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar shot up the ATP rankings, climbing from outdoors the highest 500 to the brink of the world’s prime 10 in lower than a 12 months.It’s into this unpredictable panorama {that a} new-look Alcaraz walks.The 23-year-old, nevertheless, will take consolation from the truth that he returns to aggressive tennis on the US Open, the Grand Slam the place all of it started for him. It was at this sprawling venue in New York’s Queens borough in 2022 that he claimed his maiden main crown and climbed to No. 1 within the rankings for the primary time. It was right here that he returned to the head once more final 12 months, defeating Sinner to assert his second US Open title.On Monday, Alcaraz, whose lengthy, flowy locks, held again by a skinny black headband, have already attracted loads of wows from the fandom, opens in opposition to Roman Safiullin, the 29-year-old who lit up Wimbledon along with his combat final month. The Russian additionally defeated Alcaraz in straight units on the Paris Masters three years in the past. The 2 most up-to-date Masters 1000 champions, Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils, are potential quarter ultimate opponents for second-seeded Alcaraz, who has 24-time main winner Novak Djokovic in his half.“I am feeling nice,” Alcaraz instructed worldwide media at his pre-championship convention. “I feel that proper now it is (damage) is all in my head. I gotta belief my staff, I gotta belief my folks that inform me it is gonna be advantageous. So I simply must go 100%, and keep away from that concern.”“My staff and I consider that I am prepared,” he added. “It wasn’t a straightforward determination. I did no matter it took to be prepared. I attempted to do all the things excellent on and off the court docket, actually lengthy practices, intense practices, simply to see how my wrist goes to react.”Alcaraz practiced with the 23-year-old Holger Rune, the big-hitting former No. 4, in Murcia earlier than arriving in New York.Though Alcaraz enters the US Open after a four-month damage break and and not using a prior hard-court singles match, the second seed is hardly wanting expectations.If something, the previous few months have underlined simply how a lot Alcaraz, Sinner and the 39-year-old Djokovic matter to the boys’s recreation. They’re the game’s largest stars, those who put bums on seats. At Roland Garros in Might-June, with Alcaraz out of event play and Sinner’s problem wilting within the warmth, Zverev’s title run grew to become an uncomfortable one for the game. The German’s two separate units of home abuse allegations reshaped the way in which he has been lined in elements of the media.Now, with Sinner out with a dodgy proper knee, the onus to hold the load for his era falls on Alcaraz.Daniil Medvedev, the 30-year-old world No. 8, argued that if Alcaraz is at Flushing Meadows, it means he and his staff are assured that the wrist has sufficiently recovered.“I do not assume the wrist goes to be an issue,” he mentioned. “It is extra for the entire physique itself. If he has a troublesome match, it may very well be fascinating to see how he copes. It is very nice for me to see him right here to play. If I’ve an opportunity, I’m going to look at his match, he is enjoying my buddy Roman.”The candy friendship angle apart, the tennis world’s eyes are on Alcaraz as he makes his comeback. 4 months on, it’s time to see if his wrist and tennis are prepared.
