US OPEN

August 28, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome. Because of the big crowd, we're going right to the studio audience. Questions in English.

Q. Last year in the movie you talked about with the arm injury how it was hard to trust it when you were coming back from it. I'm curious, how has the experience with the wrist been similar to that? I remember the scene in the movie where the doctors are telling you, You're going to be fine, and you were still worried about it. Do you have a similar experience with the wrist? What has it been like?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, I have similar feelings with it. I remember, like, when I got injured in the forearm, but I played, before Roland Garros, I played Madrid. But, you know, I just coming here with kind of that similar feelings of I need competition. You know, I need to come here to practice with these guys, to feel the competition once again, and this is a really testing.

But I'm feeling great, and just I think that injure help me a lot to know right now that it's all in my head. You know, I gotta trust my team, I gotta trust my people that tell me it's gonna be fine.

So I just have to go 100%, and right now I think with the practice I have made so far, it's been all good. So trying to, like, stay away from that fear, and I'm playing normal.

Q. How challenging has the past four months been? What was the toughest period? Was there any period when you weren't able to be as positive?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I'm gonna say, like, it's been four months, four months and a half that I have everything. Yeah, the first month was kind of difficult for me, because I couldn't do anything with my right arm. It was tough.

But at the same time, I enjoyed my time. I enjoyed my time with family, with friends, staying at home. But once I started to practice a little bit, that I didn't know when I'm gonna start, that thoughts are really difficult to deal with, because I don't know if I'm gonna be ready for Cincinnati, for US Open, or I'm gonna miss the whole American swing.

So that thoughts were really difficult to deal with. But finally, here we are. My goal was try to be healthy as soon as possible and try not to miss, you know, more competitions.

So I would say that intrusive thoughts were the most difficult things to deal with in this process.

Q. When you say it's all in your head, have you made any technical changes at all to any of your game, either because of what's happened or to prevent it from recurring, happening again?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, no, not at all. I have been doing the same things. I didn't change anything about technique, but movement, about the way that I'm gonna play. I just wanted to feel like I'm gonna be myself.

And I think that's important. So if I just felt that I had to change something to come here, I couldn't be here. So I think for me the most important thing is to be and to keep my identity, myself. You know, hopefully have a really long career. So that's what I was thinking. For me, was the most important thing.

Q. How did you make the decision that this was the time, this was the tournament where you'd be ready to come back? How much was that at all in doubt? Also being the best-of-five tournament for your coming back, was that a challenge as the first event?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I know coming here, coming to the US Open, best-of-five for the first one, I mean, in such a long time, it's really challenging. Probably, you know, in terms of preparation and everything is not the best time.

But we, my team and me, believe that I'm ready. It wasn't an easy decision. I just did whatever it took to, you know, to be ready. You know, I just tried to do everything perfect on and off the court, to feel ready, really long practices, really intense practices, just to see how my wrist is going to react on the practices and after that really long days.

Yeah, we saw it's everything okay, is everything good with those practices, and we believe and we thought it's going to be the time to be back. I think there is no better tournament than the US Open to be back and feel the love and feel the warm welcome that always the people here giving to me.

Q. Tell us what it was like to watch Spain win the World Cup last month. And why did you take the trophy? How did that come about, that ceremony?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, well, first of all, for me it was a lifetime experience, you know, seeing Spain winning the World Cup. And yeah, when I came here, just, you know, I thought about it, and I still thinking about it sometimes.

So it's great. Louis Vuitton had the trunks that was carrying the trophy, so they told me that I'm down to do it. And, I mean, it was a lifetime experience for me, like holding the trophy in the ceremony, to give it to them, you know, on the field. So it was a great experience.

Going back a little bit about, you know, the things that I missed, tournaments that I missed and everything, I just try to, you know, make the most of the opportunities that life brought to me, and this is one of those things that I enjoy, I enjoy so much.

It was a really cool experience and really cool moment.

Q. Congrats on the Spain World Championship. I am from Denmark. Speaking of Denmark, you had a whole week with Holger in Murcia. He was happy about it. I haven't heard you talk about it. Did you get any answers during that week in Murcia? Can you tell us about how it went? Was it there you decided, I'm going to US Open?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, it was a really important week for me. Yeah, I gotta say thank you to Holger, that he came to Murcia that week to practice with me. He's in really good form. Obviously he needs more rehab and stuff. But it helped me a lot to realize that I'm ready to come here. I'm ready to perform.

Yeah, he was great. I mean, he's welcome there every time he needs it or every time he wants to go. So I was really happy to see him back on court practicing well, practicing, you know, with high intensity, and hopefully seeing him back. I can't wait to see him around.

Yeah, once again, thank you for helping me out that I just am able to play here.

Q. What are your thoughts about Jannik not being here and you guys alternating with injury absences?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, it is the same I think for everybody that, you know, someone like Jannik is missing this tournament, you know, this Grand Slam. But, you know, it's kind of weird. We are not gonna see each other for, like, six months now, seven months. So it's kind of weird situation, to be honest.

But, you know, I just wish him all the best. Hopefully a really great recovery and see him back on court at his best once again.

I'm going to see a lot of players are having a great, you know -- well, having problems, you know, with their bodies and everything, with injuries. I think that means how tight everything is on the calendar on the year, but hopefully we're going to see Jannik back on court better than ever.