Carlos Alcaraz Makes Singles Return at the 2026 U.S. Open

On August 30, the 23-year-old Spaniard stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for his first singles match of the tournament since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in mid-April because of a wrist injury. He will open against Russian Roman Safiullin. The comeback follows a mixed-doubles quarter-final run with Serena Williams earlier in the week. Alcaraz entered the event as the defending champion, having captured his second U.S. Open title after completing a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this year.

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Alcaraz’s wrist problem kept him off the tour for nearly five months. He missed the Cincinnati Open, a tournament he had won the previous year and originally intended to use as a singles warm-up. Instead, he returned to competition in New York’s mixed-doubles draw before resuming singles play at the U.S. Open. His absence also included a withdrawal from the Barcelona Open second round in April.

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Fellow competitors expressed confidence that the wrist injury would not hinder Alcaraz’s ability to regain form quickly. American Jessica Pegula noted that the best-of-five-set format gives him extra leeway to settle into matches, while Tommy Paul highlighted that Alcaraz’s wrist may affect timing but not his overall movement. Ninth-seed Taylor Fritz emphasized that if Alcaraz feels healthy, there is no reason he cannot perform at a high level, and he praised the champion’s resilience.

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• “I think I was a little surprised he didn't play Cincinnati but still played here ... I thought, 'wow, that's a tough thing to do' but he's a special player,” — American Jessica Pegula

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• “It may be also a little bit different for the men, three out of five (sets). I do think it gives a little more leeway for him to work his way into matches, whereas if it's two out of three, like for the women, that's a little bit tougher.” — American Jessica Pegula

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• “I mean, it's so different for everybody, and it's different depending on what you're dealing with. For me it was lower body, so my timing on the ball never really went away, but my movement might have gone away,” — American Tommy Paul

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• “What else would he do? If he feels he's healthy enough to play, why not play? That's my opinion,” — Taylor Fritz

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