NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz insists his right wrist is ready. Whether his game — and his mind — can survive the immediate jump into Grand Slam pressure is now one of the biggest questions hanging over the 2026 US Open.
The 23-year-old Spaniard heads into Flushing Meadows as the defending champion and No. 2 seed after roughly four and a half months without a singles match, an absence caused by the wrist injury that abruptly derailed one of the strongest starts of his career. Speaking before the tournament, Alcaraz said he feels at “100 percent,” though he admitted there is still anxiety surrounding his comeback.
And that uncertainty could make his title defense one of the most compelling stories of this year’s tournament.
Alcaraz’s Wrist Is Healthy — Now Comes the Real Test
Alcaraz has not completed a singles match since defeating Otto Virtanen in Barcelona in mid-April. He subsequently withdrew from the Barcelona Open after experiencing pain in his right wrist and missed both the French Open and Wimbledon. Reuters reported at the time that tests showed the injury was more serious than initially expected.
The US Open later identified the problem as tenosynovitis, an inflammation affecting the tendon area of his wrist. Alcaraz’s recovery initially prevented him from doing virtually anything with his right arm, and the uncertainty surrounding when he could safely return became a significant mental challenge.
That is why his latest declaration matters.
After enduring long, high-intensity training sessions designed specifically to test how the wrist reacted during and after heavy workloads, Alcaraz and his team decided he was ready for New York. He has not altered his technique or playing style to protect the wrist and says he intends to compete normally.
But physical clearance and tournament sharpness are two very different things.
His First Singles Match in Months Will Be Best-of-Five
Unlike most injury comebacks, Alcaraz will not ease himself back into competition at a smaller ATP event.
His first singles tournament since April is the US Open.
That means his body could immediately be asked to handle a best-of-five-set battle — possibly followed by another one roughly 48 hours later.
Alcaraz acknowledged that jumping directly into a Grand Slam is far from ideal preparation. His confidence comes instead from intense practice sessions and trust in his medical and coaching team.
There is also a remarkable historical hurdle involved. According to the US Open, since the tournament permanently moved to Flushing Meadows and hard courts, no men’s singles champion has won the title without playing at least one North American hard-court event beforehand. Alcaraz is attempting to become the first.
That turns his comeback into something much bigger than a routine title defense.
Serena Williams Gave Alcaraz an Early Test
Alcaraz did get a taste of competitive tennis before the singles tournament by partnering Serena Williams in the revamped US Open mixed doubles competition.
The superstar pair defeated Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 before losing in the quarterfinals to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, 5-4(4), 4-1.
Those matches gave Alcaraz something training cannot completely reproduce: points under pressure, a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium and the emotional intensity of competition.
But mixed doubles — played under a shortened format — is a very different physical challenge from potentially grinding through five sets of singles.
American Taylor Fritz has warned that returning from such a long absence directly into best-of-five tennis is difficult, while Alexander Zverev believes Alcaraz could initially look rusty before quickly becoming dangerous if he survives the opening rounds.
Roman Safiullin Is the First Obstacle
Alcaraz begins his singles title defense against Russia’s Roman Safiullin.
From there, his draw could become considerably more dangerous.
The Spaniard sits in the loaded bottom half alongside former US Open champions Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic. Reuters reported that Alcaraz could potentially encounter Arthur Fils or Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals, followed by the possibility of Djokovic, Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe or Brandon Nakashima in the semifinals.
And unlike Alcaraz, several of those players arrive with considerably more recent singles competition.
Sinner’s Absence Changes Everything
There is one major name Alcaraz will not have to worry about: Jannik Sinner.
The world No. 1 withdrew from the US Open because of a knee injury, removing Alcaraz’s biggest contemporary rival from the tournament.
The pair had dominated men’s tennis before injuries interrupted their rivalry. Reuters notes that Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to capture 10 of the previous 11 Grand Slam titles, illustrating just how dramatically the sport has shifted toward its two young superstars.
Sinner’s absence appears to make Alcaraz’s path easier on paper — but his own layoff creates perhaps an even bigger unknown.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev is the tournament’s top seed, while Djokovic is chasing a record-breaking 25th major title. Ben Shelton and other emerging contenders add further uncertainty to what has suddenly become an unusually open men’s field.
Alcaraz Was Flying Before the Injury
The long absence is particularly striking because Alcaraz had been producing an extraordinary season before his wrist failed him.
He started 2026 with a 22-3 record, winning the Australian Open and Doha titles. His triumph in Melbourne completed the career Grand Slam and made him the youngest man ever to win singles titles at all four majors, accomplishing the feat at just 22 years old.
He now owns seven Grand Slam singles titles and is attempting to capture his third US Open crown after victories in 2022 and 2025.
That résumé makes dismissing him dangerous, regardless of the layoff.
The Biggest Question Isn’t Whether the Wrist Hurts
Alcaraz appears convinced the injury itself has healed.
The tougher question may be whether he can stop thinking about it when the ball is coming at him at more than 100 mph on break point deep in a fifth set.
He has acknowledged battling intrusive thoughts during his recovery and needing to trust that his wrist will hold when he swings freely.
That’s what makes this US Open different.
Alcaraz isn’t simply defending a trophy.
He’s trying to rediscover the instinctive, fearless tennis that made him one of the world’s best players — without months of matches to prove his body can withstand it.
His practices say he is ready.
His wrist says it is ready.
Now New York gets to find out whether four months away have actually changed Carlos Alcaraz.
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