Wrist injuries cannot be rushed: Carlos Alcaraz is playing with fire at the US Open
The Spaniard is taking a big risk in coming back at a Grand Slam event, where the intensity of battle adds pressure on the body. His 1st round opponent will be Roman Safiullin on Monday.
Carlos Alcaraz, US Open 2026 | © Imago / PsNewz
The return of Carlos Alcaraz to the tennis world is an undoubtedly joyous moment. In an era of baseline bashers (with a couple of notable exceptions), the Spaniard’s all-court ability, willingness to come forward and sheer showmanship has been much missed.
But as he takes his first steps back onto the Tour, it’s hard to escape the feeling that he might just be rushing this, that he would have been better off waiting until a smaller tournament, where the demands on the body, and especially his right wrist, might have been slightly less intense.
Could it be that the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner with a knee injury was the catalyst for his return? With the Italian absent, the draw looks as open as it has been in years, so Alcaraz probably feels like he can waltz back in and has a chance. And maybe he does. After all, he did something pretty similar in 2024, recovering from an arm injury to win the Roland-Garros with not much more match practice than he has this time.
But he’s also playing with fire. Alcaraz was not asked if he is experiencing any pain or discomfort still and let’s hope he’s not. But it would be no surprise should there be soreness there after so long away, especially given the physical demands of the game these days.
Recovery takes as long as the time off with injury
Greg Rusedski, the former world No 4 and a runner-up at the US Open in 1998, used to say that wrist injuries need as long to fully recover from as the injury-break was itself. In other words, Alcaraz was out for more than four months so he won’t be fully firing for another four.
Alcaraz referred to the fear factor when addressing the press on Friday. As far as he is concerned, that is gone, thanks to long, intensive practices. But practice can’t replicate matches, with the tension and stress match situations bring, which in turn often have a knock-on effect on the body. Conditions in week one here are expected to be humid with plenty of rain around, so the balls may feel heavier than usual, which will ask more of the wrist.
Juan Martin Del Potro would be a good man to speak to. The Argentinian had three wrist operations and was close to quitting at the time, so hard had it been. Everyone will remember how he had to hit a one-handed backhand for a long time before his left wrist was ready to go full power on the two-hander.
The list is long. Japan’s Kei Nishikori saw his career totally derailed by a wrist injury. Britain’s Laura Robson barely recovered from hers after coming back too soon; Karolina Muchova had serious wrist surgery in 2024 and has only just fully recovered this year (though she’s doing a great job, having reached the Wimbledon final).
Dominic Thiem was never the same again after injuring his wrist in 2021; Andre Agassi, Emma Raducanu, Kim Clijsters and Nick Kyrgios all went through the ringer.
Not needing surgery is a huge bonus
The good news for Alcaraz is that his wrist didn’t need an operation. He also had outstanding treatment, as you might expect, having consulted Dr Angel Ruiz Cotorro, the doctor who famously treated Rafael Nadal on a number of occasions.
No surgery is undoubtedly a bonus, as is the fact that he says he has not had to make any changes to his game style. But Alcaraz may have to manage his comeback. Depending how far he goes at the US Open, he can take some time before hitting the ground running in Asia. Though he’s also due to play in the Laver Cup in London in September, he can be used as sparingly as required there; no point pushing it in an exhibition.
In the end, of course, no one will know how he feels better than Alcaraz himself and the Spaniard has no reason not to be honest. He won’t play if he is feeling pain, or he certainly shouldn’t, but we have to assume that if he’s in New York, he’s ready to play the US Open.
He was certainly upbeat in his press conference on Friday, although he did admit that coming back at a grand slam is a difficult challenge. With Alcaraz, anything is possible, as the bookmakers, who have him as title favourite, would agree. But however well he performs at the US Open, let’s just hope he survives unscathed, because he’s been missed.
