Carlos Alcaraz is back after four months injured. Few such comebacks won the title.
Carlos Alcaraz, back from a wrist injury in April, plays Wu Yibing in round three. Jannik Sinner pulled out and Novak Djokovic lost in round one.
What happened
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz came from a set down to beat Jaime Faria 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2 in the second round of the US Open, his first tournament since mid-April, and meets Wu Yibing in the last 32 on Thursday .
Alcaraz had not played since mid-April. He hurt his right wrist in his opening match at the Barcelona Open, and a week later he withdrew from Rome and from Roland Garros, the French Open. On Wednesday night he came from a set down to beat Portugal’s Jaime Faria, ranked 72. His next opponent, China’s Wu Yibing, is ranked 113.
The draw has lost its two other favourites. Jannik Sinner withdrew on with a right-knee injury. Novak Djokovic, 39, lost to the world number 49 Mariano Navone, 7-6 5-7 4-6 6-2 6-1, after four hours and 36 minutes. It was his earliest exit at a major since the 2006 Australian Open.
Alcaraz, 23, is the defending champion and has won seven majors. After the Faria match he said he is hitting his forehand as he did before the injury. The BBC’s reporter said the test now is how his body copes with five-set matches close together after such a long break.
Sources: BBC, Guardian, US Open, Sky Sports
The Pattern
We looked at Grand Slam champions who, between 2017 and 2022, made a major their first tournament after four months or more out injured, and at how far they went. We found six. The newest come first, and the record comes from BBC Sport, the Guardian and Sky Sports.
Show the other 4 cases
The Read
History leans against a title. Alcaraz is the defending champion and the two players most likely to beat him are out, which is why the title market opens near the middle. But of the six major champions who last tried what he is trying, only Federer in 2017 turned his comeback into the trophy. Four of the six were out by the fourth round.
Age is the main doubt about this record. Federer was 35, Wawrinka and Nadal 32 and Serena Williams 40 when they returned. Andreescu, at 20, is the only one close to Alcaraz’s 23, and she went out in round two after 15 months away, far longer than his four and a half.
The second week will decide it. If the wrist lasts through a long match there, history is likely wrong this time. If his first five-set match shows the long break, history is right.
Disclaimer
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