Alcaraz Wins US Open Return in Straight Sets After 139 Days Out With Wrist Injury

Carlos Alcaraz walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, August 31, for the first time in 139 days, and left with a straightforward answer to the only question that mattered: is the wrist actually fixed?

The defending champion beat Russia's Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 21 minutes, according to the Times of India. It was his first official singles match since a wrist injury flared up in Barcelona on April 14, according to 10sballs.

"I felt great," Alcaraz said afterward, per the Times of India. "I don't know how it looked from outside, but from inside, my feeling was that I was hitting the ball normal. I was playing pretty normal, playing my style, and the wrist felt great. I'm just really happy it's pain-free finally."

Alcaraz hit 28 winners, 20 of them off the forehand, according to the Times of India. He faced six break points and gave up just one, while converting four of his own seven chances, a gap that decided the match.

The Serve Is Still a Question Mark

Not everything looked like peak Alcaraz. His serve topped out at 128 mph, well below the 130-plus he's capable of, with average first and second serve speeds of 113 and 97 mph, according to the Times of India.

"The serve is the shot that I was struggling the most," Alcaraz admitted, adding that Safiullin's own pace forced some of the slower serving. "It will be back, for sure," he said.

Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken flagged this exact issue before the match even started, noting Alcaraz's serve speeds looked "pedestrian" during a mixed doubles tune-up with Serena Williams earlier in the tournament. Wolken also raised a question other outlets didn't touch: whether a long-planned Nike collaboration with rapper Travis Scott created outside pressure for Alcaraz to show up in New York regardless of his physical readiness. Alcaraz didn't address that speculation directly, and no source confirms it influenced his decision to play.

139 Days, and What It Cost Him

The injury cost Alcaraz a chance to add to his major count over the summer, coming right after he completed the career Grand Slam in Australia, according to Yahoo Sports. He described the layoff bluntly.

"It's been a really tough five months for me," Alcaraz said, according to thetennissite. "I missed it. I missed the crowd, the energy, I missed competition, I missed everything."

He also admitted the mental side was harder than the physical comeback. "I've been thinking about, 'Am I gonna last a match? Am I gonna last playing four sets, five sets?' I don't know," he said, per thetennissite. "The most I'm proud of is mentally. I was able to deal with everything, with the nerves, the doubts in my head, and keep it going."

10sballs quoted him making a similar point about the uncertainty of returning after such a long absence: "You don't know what's going to happen in the match after four months and a half almost. You don't know what's going to happen in your body, in your mind, everything. It's totally different."

What's Next

Alcaraz is scheduled to face Portugal's Jaime Faria in the second round Tuesday, September 1, according to thetennissite. He was careful not to make predictions about how far he'll go. "I don't know how far I'm gonna go in the tournament," he said, according to 10sballs. "What I just really want to do is enjoy every time that I'm gonna walk into the court."

The rest of the draw got shaken up on the same day. Novak Djokovic lost his first-round match to Mariano Navone, and Jannik Sinner withdrew before the tournament with an injury, according to thetennissite. Elsewhere Monday, Aryna Sabalenka beat Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-4 in her bid for a third straight US Open title, Arthur Fils lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Ben Shelton recovered from dropping the first set 6-1 to beat Tallon Griekspoor in four, and Frances Tiafoe outlasted Martin Damm Jr. in five sets, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Alcaraz didn't settle the question of whether he can go the distance for two weeks on a long-injured wrist. His own words on that were the most honest assessment available: he doesn't know either, and the next real test comes against Faria.