Carlos Alcaraz came through the US Open unscathed despite being unable to retain his title in New York.

It took a herculean effort from Ben Shelton to beat the 23-year-old at the quarter-final stage in a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) battle that ended at around 3.30am.

In his first tournament back after more than four months out with a wrist injury, Alcaraz has overcome a huge hurdle, despite many worrying that he would suffer a setback by playing at Flushing Meadows.

Following his defeat, he said, “I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile. I am proud of myself, how I fought. As I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete, play these kind of matches, be healthy.”

The Spaniard later said, “I’m eager to get back home, to train, to compete, and in the end, this is what we’ve been missing, and getting back home healthy is the most important thing.”

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Now, Serena Williams coach, Rennae Stubbs, has lifted the lid on an interaction she had with the seven-time major winner as he prepares for the rest of his 2026 season.

The former world No 1 women’s doubles player revealed that Alcaraz is in good nick and that he is such a credit to the game of tennis.

She said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, “He [Alcaraz] ran out of gas. I actually had a little text with him a couple of days after and he said the arm was really good. So that’s really positive for him. But he was knackered. He hadn’t played a five set match in four months.

“Did you see the face that he had when he walked off the court smiling? You know, everyone walks off that court, they’ve either got a towel over their head or they’re like pouting or they’re like throwing rackets or whatever.

“This guy walks off with a smile on his face. He just he’s so happy just to be healthy. And he loved every second of that warrior battle till 3.30 in the morning. If you don’t like Carlos Alcaraz, I’m sorry. We can’t be friends. Because this guy is the best.”

Alcaraz is scheduled to play at the Laver Cup later this month, before taking part in the Japan Open. It remains to be seen how frequently he will play as he seeks to get back to his very best.

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