Carlos Alcaraz made a winning return to action after four months out with a wrist injury at the US Open and it wasn’t just his big-hitting shots that caught the eye in his win against Roman Safiullin.
Alcaraz admitted he had big doubts in his own mind over whether he was ready to return to action in a best-of-five-set Grand Slam match and he showed plenty of nerves in the early exchanges, with some of his first serves dipping below 100mph in the first set.
The speed of his forehand was impressive as he fired some trademark winners past Safiullin, as he ran out winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
“There were some doubts in the match, I’m not going to lie. Thinking about if I would last the match, best of five, playing four or five sets,” said Alcaraz, who will play Portugal’s Jaime Faria next.
“I had a little bit of doubt, but I tried to forget everything and focus on the things I needed to improve. I thought about what would happen in the match and physically I felt really well.”
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Alcaraz took to the court in a new brown Nike outfit that could best be described as revealing in the upper half of his torso.
The Spaniard didn’t seem entirely comfortable in the outfit as he continually tugged away at it and tried to cover up his skin that was being revealed from a variety of angles.
The outfit was partially designed by rapper Travis Scott, who was in the Alcaraz box to watch the defending champion get a morale-boosting win.
The basketball-style top instantly became a talking g point on social media, with former British No 1 Laura Robson summing up what many of us thought of the outfit.
“It could do with a little more material,” said Robson, as she watched on from courtside for Sky Sports. “But it depends what you are looking for!”
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Alcaraz was also asked about his flowing locks in his post match press conference, with his long hair very different in comparison to what he was wearing at last year’s US Open.
He famously went into the 2025 edition of the US Open with a shaved head after his brother attempted to cut his hair and made a mess of it.
This year, he has returned with long hair that requires an Alice band to support it and he has insisted he has no plans to get a trim.
“In the tournament, I’m gonna keep it long, for sure,” declared Alcaraz.
“Then I don’t know! Once I start a tournament with a hairstyle, then I have to keep it until the tournament is finished.”
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