Tommy Paul reveals Alcaraz's biggest handicap at the US Open
The American tennis player believes that the Spanish tennis player may have doubts when hitting the ball due to his wrist injury, although he trusts that he will do well in New York.
Tommy Paul has started off on the right foot at the US Open 2026, achieving a great victory over Coleman Wong to advance to the second round with a score of 6-7(3) 6-1 6-3 6-3. Additionally, during the press conference, he was asked about the return of Carlos Alcaraz after his serious wrist injury, and he shared his perspective having gone through other physical issues in the past.
It is true that the American tennis player has not had an injury like the Spaniard’s, but he has faced other physical setbacks recently that have taken him away from the world’s top 8 which he belonged to just over a year ago. Paul was positive about Carlos, although he did caution about a potential handicap that the Spaniard may encounter during his first matches until he loses the fear of hitting again after such a serious injury.
"It's very different for each person, and it depends on the situation. In my case, it was the lower body, so my timing with the ball was never affected, but my mobility was. In his case, it was the wrist, so he probably moves very well, but maybe he can’t hit the ball as well. It’s also likely that he comes back playing wonderfully. It’s not easy, but he’s a great player and a great champion, so I'm sure that if he feels good, he’ll figure it out soon," he concluded.
The surprising confession from Tommy Paul about his honeymoon
Another highlight of his press conference was when a journalist asked him about his recent wedding, and whether, like Alex de Miñaur, he had been without touching his racket for a long time. In Tommy's case, he didn’t take the same break as the Australian player, although he acknowledged the difficulty of balancing having recently gotten married with preparing for the North American tour.
"I literally took my coach on my honeymoon (laughs). Yes, I mean, when it comes to practicing with professional players, I couldn't do it as much. Obviously, I think that to prepare for the tournaments, you need to be very focused on practice, and that’s challenging. When you get married, that’s the top priority. Luckily, I've been training hard for a long time and preparing a lot for the US Open. It’s complicated, honestly," he finished. For now, he is already two victories away from matching his best result at the US Open, the only Grand Slam he plays at home and the one that has been the toughest for him.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Tommy Paul desvela el mayor hándicap de Alcaraz en el US Open