Alcaraz opens up about mental struggles during five-month injury layoff

NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that uncertainty surrounding his return from a wrist injury was one of the most difficult aspects of his nearly five-month absence from competitive tennis.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion missed a large part of the clay-court season, as well as the French Open, Wimbledon and the North American hardcourt events, because of the injury.

Now 23, the Spaniard is back at Flushing Meadows to defend his U.S. Open crown. However, he enters the tournament with limited match preparation and the familiar pressure of being among the leading contenders for the title.

Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam after winning his seventh major at this year’s Australian Open, said the early stages of his recovery were particularly challenging.

“The first month was kind of difficult for me because I couldn’t do anything with my right arm. It was tough,” Alcaraz told reporters on Friday.

He said the lack of clarity over when he would be able to compete again also affected him mentally, with what he described as “intrusive thoughts” becoming a major challenge during his rehabilitation.

The Spaniard finally returned to competition earlier this week, partnering 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams in the U.S. Open mixed doubles event.

His return comes with little competitive preparation compared with his usual build-up to a Grand Slam, but expectations remain high as he begins his campaign in New York seeking a third U.S. Open title.

“But at the same time, I enjoyed my time with family, friends and staying at home. But once I started to practice a little bit, that I didn’t know when I’m going to start, that thoughts are really difficult to deal with, because I don’t know if I’m going to be ready for Cincinnati, for U.S. Open, or I’m going to miss the whole American swing,” he said.

“But finally, here we are. My goal was try to be healthy as soon as possible and try not to miss more competitions. So I would say that intrusive thoughts were the most difficult things to deal with in this process.”

The second seed opens his campaign against Russia’s Roman Safiullin, ranked 98th in the world, and could face either Arthur Fils or Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals before a potential semi-final clash with 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe or Brandon Nakashima.

The tournament will also be missing world number one Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz’s biggest rival, after the 25-year-old Italian withdrew with a persistent right knee injury.

“We are not going to see each other for about six months or seven months now. So it’s kind of a weird situation,” Alcaraz said. “I just wish him all the best. Hopefully a really great recovery and see him back on court at his best once again…”

The U.S. Open men’s and women’s singles main draws get under way on Sunday.