Carlos Alcaraz is trying to do the near-impossible. The Spanish great is trying not to play in a singles event since April, after injuring his wrist at the Barcelona Open, and then win the US Open. The stress on his (hopefully) recently healed wrist must be real.
But Alcaraz understands he might be tested physically, and likely should be. Speaking after the match, he was asked how he felt, and his admission was logical and the right approach.
"I wanted to be quick, to be honest. I'm not going to lie," Alcaraz said. "But at the end, I realized that just playing four sets, it was really good for me to test everything physically, to test my body, how I feel, and tomorrow how I'm going to feel after this match."
Carlos Alcaraz gets honest about being tested in the second round at the US Open
Alcaraz will likely feel fine on Thursday after his late-night match on Wednesday when he defeated Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. He also proved that he might still be rusty, but he can adapt quickly. After dropping the first set, he left no doubt who was going to win the match the rest of the way.
The ATP No. 3 is so elite when he is in form that he is one of the rare players historically that could miss nearly half the year and come back and still be the heavy favorite to win a major. If he returned at the Cincinnati Open, that would be one thing. Instead, he returned at a tournament that is played in best-of-five matches, not just best-of-three.
In the third round, Alcaraz shouldn't be stressed physically. He will take on Yibing Wu, the No. 113-ranked player who doesn't have any skills that will scare the seven-time Grand Slam winner. A three-set victory should be expected.
In the fourth round, though, things could tick up in level of competition. Alcaraz will face either Tommy Paul or Alexander Bublik. The Spaniard should still get by that match because expecting Alcaraz to ever lose a match is foolish, but Bublik has the kind of easy power that could cause Alcaraz to struggle.
Paul moves around the court as well as anyone and could extend points enough to tax Alcaraz physically. Again, the Spaniard should win, but the round of 16 potential matchups will begin to ask Alcaraz the questions he might not be ready to answer.
In the quarterfinals, the Spaniard could take on Ben Shelton, who is a rising American who has the skills to defeat Carlos Alcaraz. The 2025 US Open winner could also face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who seems to be finding his footing on the ATP Tour again.
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