It feels so good to see Carlos Alcaraz back on court, and despite a bit of expected rust, he looks as accomplished as ever.
His superiority over the rest of the ATP Tour, Jannik Sinner aside, has clearly not relented in the four and a half months he spent sidelined. It’s clear he is still a level above even with a lack of fitness and match practice.
However, this perhaps poses a problem for the sport, which does feel like it’s becoming somewhat reliant on him and his great Italian rival to uphold the bulk of the quality in the men’s game.
Whilst the WTA Tour is blessed with incredible depth in quality, where it feels like anyone could win any given event, if Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner are present, it almost always results in them winning the tournament. As such, they feel like the only two truly global stars of their generation.
What should really have the ATP worried is the threat that Alcaraz has just issued after his latest win at the US Open. It seems that his time away from competitive action has hardened his frustrations with the tennis calendar.
Carlos Alcaraz’s threat to the ATP after his injury lay-off
Alcaraz has complained about the tennis schedule at length in the past, alongside many other star names near the apex of the sport.
And, he is justified in his frustration, especially when this relentless expectation to keep playing more and more events likely resulted in the wrist injury he sustained in April.
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Discussing this issue in his latest press conference, he stopped short of outwardly blaming the ATP, but did insist that his planning will forever change because of this. He’s unwilling to be dictated to again, with his power over the sport certain to help in his new crusade.
Alcaraz admitted: “I took more than I wanted to be honest. Seeing how the calendar is, obviously I don’t want to have this break because of an injury. But in the future I’m going to take some break. Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it’s impossible to play them all.
“I think they are adding more important tournaments. In a way they are making us play. [They say] You can skip one or two, you can decide your calendar. But there are some Masters 1000s, Grand Slams, and we will be out playing 40 weeks if we play every mandatory tournament the ATP requires us to play.
“It’s impossible, and we are seeing a lot of players getting injured, a lot of players getting tired. If they don’t do anything about it, we are going to see even more in the future.
“For me, taking this break because an injury, it wasn’t that good, but you know, what I’m going to say is I’m going to take some breaks and missing some tournaments in the future, for sure.”
Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the US Open only further proves his point, as he headlined a long list of notable absentees from this final major of the season, including Jack Draper, Casper Ruud, Emma Raducanu and Joao Fonseca.
Who will Carlos Alcaraz play next at the US Open?
When the US Open draw was made, many feared for Alcaraz, suggesting that it had not afforded the world number three an easy return to the sport after so long out.
However, the way in which he navigated through a stern first-round opponent in Roman Safiullin represented a statement win for the Spaniard.
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His latest victory, scored last night, did see him drop a set, but still cruise into the next round. And, fortunately, the draw has opened up for him a little bit.
Arthur Fils was the most notable early casualty of the US Open thus far, who was in Alcaraz’s quarter of the draw. Meanwhile, Matteo Arnaldi, who the 23-year-old was due to play in the next round, has also been defeated too. No match at this level is simple, but on paper, his draw is easing.
Next up is Chinese star Wu Yibing, who has won his opening two matches with remarkable ease. A win would secure Alcaraz’s place in the second week, where he’s then expected to face Alexander Bublik.
