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Carlos Alcaraz admits he was unusually nervous after triumphant New York return
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Sports

Carlos Alcaraz admits he was unusually nervous after triumphant New York return

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Carlos Alcaraz defeated Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in his first official match after a four-and-a-half-month absence with a right wrist injury.
  • The Spanish third seed said he felt unusually nervous but finished the match without wrist pain.
  • Alcaraz will face Portugal’s Jaime Faria in the next round as he seeks to defend his Flushing Meadows title.

Carlos Alcaraz returned to competition in New York after four and a half months away with a right wrist injury, and admitted he felt more nervous than usual before stepping onto the court. The Spanish world No. 3 beat Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in his US Open opener.

For me to be honest, it was a difficult day, but at the same time a very beautiful one. I started the day very, very nervous.

— Carlos AlcarazHe described his emotions before returning to official competition.

Alcaraz said the long break had made him forget what a match day felt like. During his warm-up, he was unsure of his usual routine and had to recover the sensation of competing. His priority, he said, was to enjoy the match despite not knowing how his body and mind would respond.

The physical question hanging over his tournament eased during the match. Alcaraz wore a compression sleeve and a white wristband on his right arm, but reported no pain afterward. “Now I don’t feel any pain,” he said. “I felt great. The arm, the wrist, everything felt wonderful.”

Today there was more enjoyment than level of play, but both are quite high. My team and I were very clear that today was about enjoying it.

— Carlos AlcarazHe explained the priority he and his team set for his comeback match.

His serve remained the clearest area for adjustment, with a lower average speed than usual. Alcaraz said it was probably the stroke he had struggled with most, while explaining that some of the reduced pace reflected a tactical choice against Safiullin. He said he would try to serve better in the next match.

Now I don’t feel any pain. I felt great. The arm, the wrist, everything felt wonderful.

— Carlos AlcarazHe gave an upbeat assessment of his wrist and overall physical condition.

Alcaraz credited his team’s complete support with helping him move past fear of the injury. He will play Portugal’s Jaime Faria on Wednesday as he seeks to retain the title at Flushing Meadows.

The complete confidence I have in my team is what makes me calmer and stops me thinking about anything beyond what I have to do on the court.

— Carlos AlcarazHe credited his support team with helping him manage concerns about the injury.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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