Carlos Alcaraz has given a forthright press conference ahead of his return to action at the US Open, as he opened up for the first time on his long lay-off with a wrist injury.
Defending US Open champion Alcaraz is in New York despite several high-profile voices suggesting the Spaniard is making a mistake by trying to return to the sport in a best-of-five-set Grand Slam format.
An honest Alcaraz admitted those sentiments were not misplaced, but he stressed his belief that he could compete against the best players in the world in the toughest format in tennis,
“I know that coming to the US Open, with best-of-five-set matches, is something really difficult. But my team and I think I’m ready,” declared Alcaraz.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I did everything I needed to do to be ready.
“I tried to do things as well as possible, on and off the court, to feel ready. In particular, I did long, very intense training sessions to see how my body would react.”
“After those long days of work, we saw that everything was going well and that my body was responding correctly. So we thought it was the right time to come back.
“And I couldn’t dream of a better tournament than the US Open to make my return, to feel the love of the public again and to rediscover the warm welcome that people here have always given me.”
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Alcaraz also opened up on his journey back to tennis, as he admitted there were highs and lows in a recovery process that tested him to the full.
“The first month was kind of difficult for me, because I couldn’t do anything with my right arm. It was tough,” he revealed.
“At the same time, I enjoyed my time. I enjoyed my time with family, with friends, staying at home.
“Once I started to practise a little bit, I didn’t know when I was going to start. Those thoughts are really difficult to deal with, because I didn’t know if I was going to be ready for Cincinnati, for US Open, or [if I was] going to miss the whole American swing.”
Alcaraz was also asked if he will change his playing style to protect his wrist and he insisted that was not needed, as he suggested the biggest hurdle he needs to overcome now if in his own head.
“I have been doing the same things. I didn’t change anything about technique, [about] movement, about the way that I’m going to play,” added the seven-time Grand Slam winner.
“I just wanted to feel like I’m going to be myself. And I think that’s important.
“I’m just coming here with kind of that similar feeling of I need competition. I need to come here to practise with these guys, to feel the competition once again, and this is really testing.
“I’m feeling great, and just I think that injury helped me a lot to know right now that it’s all in my head. I’ve got to trust my team, I’ve got to trust my people that tell me it’s going to be fine.
“So I just have to go 100 per cent, and right now I think with the practice I have made so far, it’s been all good. So trying to stay away from that fear, and I’m playing normal.”
Alcaraz’s comments about the mental battle he is facing suggest he might not be entirely convinced he is ready to compete and all will be revealed when he takes on Roman Safiullin in his first match.
