Carlos Alcaraz marked his return to singles competition at the US Open following an injury-related hiatus by dismissing Roman Safiullin in the first round.

The defending champion had been sidelined since April due to a right wrist injury and opted not to play any Tour-level events leading up to the Grand Slam. He did feature in the US Open mixed doubles tournament last week, playing two matches alongside Serena Williams in a shortened format.

Entering the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday amid uncertainty surrounding his current fitness, Alcaraz worked his way to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over world No.99 Safiullin. A player who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon as a qualifier earlier this year. It was an ideal comeback match for the Spaniard, who was tested but nothing too strenuous.

“It’s been a really tough five months for me,” Alcaraz reflected during his on-court interview.

“I said before the tournament, I think I couldn’t decide to come back at a better tournament in New York.

“It’s a really special place for me. I try to enjoy it as much as I can. I missed it. I missed the crowd, the energy, the competition. I missed everything.

“I’m just really, really happy that I was able to compete again.”

After sealing the opener in exactly 50 minutes without dropping his serve, Alcaraz was made to work harder in the second after falling behind 0-2 before swiftly coming back to draw level. The same situation almost happened in the third, but Alcaraz saved three break points when down 0-1. In both of those sets, he capitalised on some costly errors from the Russian that guided him towards victory.

Although the main focus wasn’t the score, it was Alcaraz’s physicality. He wore a protective sleeve on his right serving arm but showed no signs of discomfort in his wrist. In recent months, he has been dealing with tenosynovitis, which is inflammation of the protective sleeve (sheath) that surrounds his tendon. According to data from the tournament, his average first serve speed was 112 mph and his second was 97 mph.

“There were some doubts during the match,” the second seed admits.

“I’m not gonna lie. Thinking about (if) I’m gonna last the best of five (sets).

“I tried to forget everything. I tried to enjoy and be focused on the things that I had to do, try to improve and everything.

“Physically, I felt really well.”

Alcaraz is seeking to become the first man to win back-to-back US Open titles since Roger Federer, who was undefeated in New York between 2004 and 2008. He will play Portugal’s Jaime Faria in the second round.

“The level of tennis is gonna be better,” Alcaraz said ahead of his next match.

“I’m really happy with the level that I played. My first official match for four months.

“I need to get back into the rhythm of the tournaments and matches.

“I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get better and better every day.”

Alcaraz, who won the Australian Open in January, is the youngest man to claim 15 consecutive hardcourt wins at Grand Slam tournaments since Pete Sampras.