Carlos Alcaraz says he needs real match competition as he prepares to defend his title at the US Open following a four-month injury layoff.
Alcaraz has been sidelined since April due to a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open.
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He tested his physical readiness by playing mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
Seeded No. 2, Alcaraz begins his singles title defense against Roman Safiullin on August 30, 2026.
Despite limited match practice, Alcaraz and his coaching team believe he is fit and ready for the physical demands of a Grand Slam.
“I’m feeling very good, and I think that injury helped me a lot to understand that right now, everything is in my head. I have to trust my team, trust the people who tell me that everything is going to be fine,” said the 23-year-old.
“So I just have to go 100 per cent. Right now, with the training I’ve done so far, everything has gone well. I’m trying to get away from that fear and play normally.
“I haven’t changed anything. I’ve been doing the same things. I haven’t changed anything technically, in terms of my movements or the way I’m going to play.
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“I just wanted to feel that I was going to be myself. I knew that coming here to the US Open, being a best-of-five-set tournament and being my first tournament after such a long time, was going to be a huge challenge.
“Probably, in terms of preparation, it wasn’t the ideal time. But my team and I believe that I’m ready. It wasn’t an easy decision. I did everything I needed to do to be ready. I tried to do everything perfectly, both on and off the court, to feel prepared.
“We saw that everything was fine, that everything was responding properly, and we believed it was the right time to come back.”
