Carlos Alcaraz made a flying start to his US Open title defence on Monday, overcoming nerves after a lengthy layoff due to injury and defeating Russia’s Roman Safiullin in straight sets.
Alcaraz told a courtside interviewer he was thrilled to be back in New York, where he won his first of seven Grand Slams. He revealed no lingering effects from a wrist injury that kept him out of the last two Grand Slams. “I’m really happy to compete again. “You know, I was warming up, and I don’t remember actually what I used to do, you know, in the warm-up. “I was playing normal, playing my style, and the arm, the wrist, everything, you know, felt great. A two-time winner in New York, Alcaraz is customarily at the top of the list of favorites in the game’s biggest events.
The match was even at 3-3 when Alcaraz snagged a break with a big forehand, the signature weapon he used to take control of many of the longer rallies. After winning his opening match in Barcelona in April, Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament due to the wrist injury, which also kept him from the French Open and Wimbledon.
The Spaniard felt “really really nervous” Monday morning before taking Arthur Ashe stadium for his first round match, but never looked threatened as he prevailed over Safiullin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. “I missed the crowd, I missed the energy, I missed competition, I missed everything,” he said. “It’s kind of I forgot how match day looks like,” he said. “I don’t know how it looked from the outside … but my feeling was I was hitting normal,” Alcaraz said.
