Alcaraz breaks his silence: "It has been very tough"

Andrés Tomás Rico - 28 Aug 2026 | 20:09
ATP Carlos Alcaraz US Open 2026 Rueda de prensa

The Spaniard held his first press conference at the US Open after four months of injury and assures that the goal has been "to try to be healthy as soon as possible and not to miss any more tournaments."
 

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Alcaraz: "I haven't changed anything, and to me, that was the most important." Photo: Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz spoke to the media again four and a half months after his wrist injury that has forced him to miss a large part of the season. In fact, during this entire period, the Spaniard did not make any statements, and all updates regarding his physical condition were shared through his social media. Therefore, the anticipation in the press room at the US Open was at its peak.

In his first press conference after his injury, as part of the Media Day at the US Open, most of the questions, as expected, were about his wrist injury. From the tough first months to the uncertainty of when he could return, as well as the reasons that led him to decide to play in New York. But above all, he emphasized the mental importance of overcoming the injury.

Carlos Alcaraz recalls his forearm injury from 2024 to explain the mental importance in his wrist injury recovery

"I have had similar feelings. I remember when I injured my forearm, but before Roland Garros, I played in Madrid. Now I've come here with that similar feeling of needing competition. I need to come here, train with these players, feel competition again, and this is a very important test."

"But I am feeling very good, and I believe that injury helped me understand that right now, everything is in my head. I have to trust my team, I have to trust the people who tell me that everything is going to be fine. So I just have to go one hundred percent. And right now, with the training I’ve done so far, everything has gone well. I’m trying to distance myself from that fear and I’m playing normally."

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Alcaraz explains how the four months off have been

"I would say it has been four months, four and a half months during which I've had all of this. The first month was quite difficult for me because I couldn’t do anything with my right arm. It has been very tough. But at the same time, I enjoyed my time. I enjoyed being with my family, with my friends, being at home. Once I started training a bit, not knowing exactly when I would return, those thoughts were really hard to manage because I didn’t know if I would be ready for Cincinnati, for the US Open, or if I would miss the entire American tour."

"Those thoughts were the toughest part to face. But finally, here we are. My goal was to try to be healthy as soon as possible and not miss any more competitions. So I would say those intrusive thoughts were the most difficult part of this whole process."

Alcaraz states that nothing has changed in his tennis despite the injury

"I haven’t changed anything. I’ve been doing the same things. I haven’t changed anything regarding technique or my movements or the way I’m going to play. I just wanted to feel like I was going to be myself."

"I think that’s important. If I had felt I needed to change something to come back here, I wouldn't be able to be here. For me, the most important thing is to maintain my identity, to keep being myself. I hope to have a very long career, and that was what I had in mind. That was the most important thing for me."

 

 

Alcaraz explains the reasons that led him to return at the US Open

"I knew that coming here, to the US Open, as it’s a best of five sets tournament and being the first one after such a long time, was going to be a huge challenge. Probably, in terms of preparation, it wasn’t the ideal time. But my team and I believe I am ready. It wasn’t an easy decision. I did everything necessary to be ready."

"I tried to do everything perfectly on and off the court, feel prepared, with very long and intense training sessions, just to see how my wrist reacted during training and after those demanding days. We saw that everything was fine, everything responded correctly, and we believe it was time to return. I think there’s no better tournament than the US Open to come back and feel the affection and welcome that the people always give me here."

Alcaraz confesses the great importance of the training week with Rune

"It was a very important week for me. I have to thank Holger for coming to Murcia that week to train with me. He is in very good shape. Obviously, he still needs more rehabilitation and some other things, but he helped me a lot to realize that I am ready to come back here and compete."

"Yes, it was great. He is always welcome there whenever he needs it or whenever he wants to come. I was very happy to see him back on the court, training well, working with a lot of intensity, and I hope to see him back soon. I can't wait to see him back on the circuit. Once again, thank you for helping me and making it possible for me to be here playing,” concludes a Carlos Alcaraz who is already ready to put on a show again.

 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz rompe su silencio: "Ha sido muy duro"