Carlos Alcaraz returned from a four-month absence with a clean 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 US Open victory over Roman Safiullin on Monday, showing no signs of the right wrist injury that forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon and declaring himself pain-free heading into his title defense.
The 23-year-old Spaniard stepped back into Grand Slam and US Open tennis without a warmup tournament, skipping the entire clay and grass seasons, and said he felt as if he was hitting normally and playing his style. He said everything felt great.
He acknowledged being more nervous than usual heading into the match. He said his goal for the tournament is to compete and enjoy it and to see how his body responds. He said he does not know how far he will go, whether to the second round or the final, but that what he wants most is to walk onto the court and feel the energy from the crowd and feel competition again.
Carlos Alcaraz grew more comfortable as the match progressed, encouraging louder cheers from the crowd by cupping his hand to his ear and pumping his fist after a volley winner in the final game.
The path opens
The circumstances favor Alcaraz significantly. Top-ranked Jannik Sinner is absent with a knee injury. Novak Djokovic, the No. 4 seed, lost in the first round Sunday in the first US Open first-round loss of his career. No man has won back-to-back US Open titles since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004 to 2008. If Alcaraz stays healthy, he is the clear US Open favorite.
Wawrinka’s farewell
Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 US Open champion, played his final Grand Slam match Monday, losing to Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-0. The 41-year-old Swiss three-time major champion said he will miss it, and will miss it big time. He received a wild card into the tournament specifically for this farewell appearance.
Tsitsipas upsets Fils
Arthur Fils, the Cincinnati champion and No. 10 seed, was eliminated by Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-4, making Fils the second top-10 seed to exit in the first round after Djokovic. Tsitsipas, who reached the No. 3 ranking in the world and lost two Grand Slam finals to Djokovic, is unseeded at the US Open for the first time in his career. When asked whether he can recapture that level, he said simply that why not.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 3 seed, needed four sets to advance past Rinky Hijikata 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the night session.
The men’s draw after Day 2
The draw has lost its top seed to injury before the tournament began and its fourth seed in the first round. With Sinner and Djokovic gone, Alcaraz is the logical favorite. Alexander Zverev, the No. 1 seed and French Open champion, begins his tournament Tuesday. Alcaraz beat Safiullin in straight sets without dropping serve in any set, which is not the profile of a player still managing an injury.
