McEnroe, thrilled with Alcaraz's return: "It's fantastic to have him back"

John McEnroe has declared himself an unconditional fan of Carlos Alcaraz for a long time. And after his return to the courts following a four-and-a-half-month absence due to his wrist injury, he is even more so. Although the Spaniard could not overcome Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals of the US Open, the incredible match they both played reflected two things: the American is in the best moment of his career, and the Spaniard has returned much better than expected.

Shelton is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to win his first Grand Slam, although he first must compete against his compatriot Frances Tiafoe, and then, in a hypothetical final, against Alexander Zverev or Karen Khachanov. Meanwhile, Alcaraz could not defend last year's championship title, but he demonstrated that with very little practice, he remains the best player in the world, with permission from Jannik Sinner.

John McEnroe enjoyed Carlos Alcaraz's return at the US Open

Something that John McEnroe also noticed and explained in statements to Eurosport. He first wanted to emphasize the great form in which the Murcian returned to the circuit: "First of all, I'm glad he's back, I'm really happy. It was a great boost for the tournament. He showed a lot of grit, considering he hadn't played that match with Ben."

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The former world number one stressed how risky it was to return to the courts in a tournament with the best of five sets after so many months of inactivity: "Obviously, the hardest thing is, you know, not playing any tournaments and coming back in a Grand Slam. It's a bit like playing the lottery. They must have had their reasons. I don't know what they are."

He then took the opportunity to praise Shelton's great level: "He had opportunities to win that match against Shelton, although Ben definitely played the best match of his life and demonstrated incredible athleticism and fitness. Otherwise, he would have lost."

Ben Shelton scores the biggest win of his career and a spot in the US Open semifinals! pic.twitter.com/2PCndRLcpL

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026

"In summary, it seemed like he left the court with a smile on his face, which is fantastic for us. And let's hope he doesn't feel any aftereffects and continues on without problems; tennis needs Alcaraz and it's fantastic to have him back."

In addition to talking about Alcaraz and his return, he was also asked who he thinks would win a match between the Spaniard and Roger Federer: "I would say it would be like the match one dreams of. I would say it's a 50-50, as I see it. I was going to say it depends on the surface, but I'm not sure it does. I suppose Carlos would have more success on the clay at Roland Garros. Then there's a lot of work to catch up with Roger, Wimbledon and the US Open, but those are dream matches that you would love to comment on," concluded the tennis legend.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, McEnroe, rendido con el regreso de Alcaraz: "Es fantástico tenerlo de vuelta"