Serena Williams' coach reveals what Alcaraz told her after the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz set an example for the tennis world at the US Open 2026. Despite being out for four and a half months, the Spanish tennis player decided to return in New York to try to defend his title, although he fell short in this attempt after losing to Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals following an epic match. Nevertheless, he displayed a level of play more typical of someone who has been inactive for so long in a five-set match, and Rennae Stubbs revealed what the Murcian said to her two days after being eliminated.

The first thing Stubbs wanted to highlight is that his defeat was due to a physical issue, not a lack of skill. This is something normal considering where he was coming from. However, the most positive news is that smile with which he left the Arthur Ashe Court after his defeat, knowing that he was back, has not suffered from his injury, and gave it his all. This is what the coach of Serena Williams admires, who has spoken about it on her own podcast.

“Alcaraz ran out of steam. In fact, I texted him a couple of days after the US Open and he said his arm was doing very well. That is very positive for him. But he was exhausted. He had not played a five-set match in four months,” she revealed on her podcast. In fact, many were surprised that Alcaraz returned to the circuit at a Grand Slam due to how risky it could be, but the Murcian tennis player has shown that he was more than prepared for the challenge.

The great virtue of Alcaraz in defeat

Beyond his level of play, what Rennae praised the most is that smile of Alcaraz after being eliminated that so defines his character. He was happy to be back and to feel competitive again. Tennis missed him dearly, but he also missed tennis. 

“Did you see the look on his face when he left the court smiling? You know, everyone comes off that court either with a towel over their head or pouting or throwing racquets or whatever. This guy leaves with a smile on his face. He is so happy to be healthy. And he enjoyed every second of that warrior battle until 3:30 in the morning. If you don’t like Carlos Alcaraz, I’m sorry, or we can’t be friends, because this guy is the best.,” she concluded.

The next challenge for Alcaraz will be the Laver Cup, and from there he will travel to the Asian tour to continue gaining momentum and get closer again to Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner in the fight for number 1. The most important thing is that the fear of injury has disappeared, he has not rushed things, and he has stuck to the timelines perfectly. Now it remains for him to continue enjoying while the rest enjoy watching him play.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La entrenadora de Serena Williams desvela qué le dijo Alcaraz después del US Open