NEW YORK : Carlos Alcaraz said uncertainty over when he would return to competition led to “intrusive thoughts” during a nearly five-month layoff caused by a wrist injury, making the period one of the toughest of his career.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion, 23, missed much of the clay-court season as well as the French Open, Wimbledon and the North American hardcourt swing while recovering from the injury.
Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam by winning his seventh major at this year’s Australian Open, is now back at the U.S. Open, where he will defend his title despite limited match practice.
He made his competitive return earlier this week in mixed doubles alongside 23-time singles Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
“The first month was kind of difficult for me because I couldn’t do anything with my right arm. It was tough,” Alcaraz told reporters on Friday.
“But at the same time, I enjoyed my time with family, friends and staying at home.
“But once I started to practise a little bit, I didn’t know when I was going to start. Those thoughts are really difficult to deal with, because I didn’t know if I was going to be ready for Cincinnati, for the U.S. Open, or if I was going to miss the whole American swing.
“But finally, here we are. My goal was to try to be healthy as soon as possible and try not to miss more competitions. So I would say that intrusive thoughts were the most difficult things to deal with in this process.”
The second seed begins his campaign against Russia’s Roman Safiullin, ranked 98th in the world. He could meet either Arthur Fils or Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals before a potential semi-final against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe or Brandon Nakashima.
The tournament will be without world number one Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz’s biggest rival, after the 25-year-old Italian withdrew with a persistent right knee injury.
“We are not going to see each other for about six months or seven months now. So it’s kind of a weird situation,” Alcaraz said.
“I just wish him all the best. Hopefully a really great recovery and see him back on court at his best once again.”
The U.S. Open men’s and women’s singles main draws get under way on Sunday.
