Carlos Alcaraz’s return to competitive tennis has given him a new perspective on one of the sport’s biggest challenges: how to stay fresh through a relentlessly long season. The 23-year-old Spaniard, back on court at the U.S. Open after a four-month absence, says he is feeling better physically than he expected and now plans to build more extended breaks into his schedule next year — not because he believes his body cannot cope, but because he wants to protect his mental well-being. Alcaraz reached the fourth round Friday by beating Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. It was another encouraging step for the defending champion, who had been sidelined since April because of a right wrist injury. So far, his comeback has gone smoothly. Alcaraz said he has experienced no setbacks between matches and has been pleased with how quickly his body has recovered. “It feels like I’ve been competing the whole time. So I surprise myself the way that I’m feeling and the way that I’m recovering after every match,” Alcaraz said. “So I’m just really happy about it that I’m able to perform at my best after every match.” His decision to consider more time away from competition, however, is not directly connected to the wrist problem. Alcaraz said the injury that forced him to withdraw during the Barcelona Open was not the result of playing too much. Instead, he believes taking more time off could help him approach the biggest tournaments with greater energy and enthusiasm. “I’m kind of a guy that doesn’t need to play a lot of tournaments,” Alcaraz said, explaining that he wants to remain “mentally healthy.” “I just feel like you can have those moments of time to have a break,” he added, “to prepare well for tournaments, to prepare well mentally.” ‘I WANT TO MISS TENNIS’ Alcaraz’s comments come as players continue to raise concerns about the length of the professional tennis calendar and the demands of competing week after week. He played 80 matches last year and went 22-3 at the start of this season, including winning his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open before his injury interrupted his campaign. For a player of Alcaraz’s stature, taking tournaments off is also less complicated than it might be for many others. His ranking and financial position give him considerably more flexibility to skip events when he feels it is necessary. The Spaniard said the constant cycle of tournaments can make it difficult to arrive at major events feeling fully prepared. “It is like it’s tournament after tournament after tournament, and you don’t feel like you are well-prepared coming to some tournaments,” Alcaraz said. “So that’s why I just decided that probably in the future I’m going to take breaks because I want to feel well prepared coming to Grand Slams, Masters 1000s, whatever it is.” For Alcaraz, the issue goes beyond physical recovery. He wants to rediscover the excitement that initially drew him to the sport. “I just want to step on the court, have joy, have fun on the court, because sometimes playing such a long season or playing a lot of tournaments week after week, I feel like I’m not playing with joy, I don’t have fun on the court. I just want to miss the tennis sometimes, miss the tours, miss you guys,” he explained to reporters at his press conference. “That’s why I just want to have long breaks, because it’s impossible to last the whole season playing every tournament.” NEW LOOK, NEW CELEBRATION Away from the serious discussion about workload and mental freshness, Alcaraz also provided some lighter moments after his victory. He debuted a slightly different look Friday, wearing a white shirt underneath his usual sleeveless top. The change, he explained, was prompted by the way his clothing had moved during his previous match. “I think I saw my nipple too much lately,” he said. “I felt like, you know, I could hide it for at least once match.” He also introduced a new victory celebration, mimicking the motion of shooting an arrow. The idea came from his brothers, who gave him a choice between the arrow gesture and a dance. “They made me choose to do the arrow or dancing, so I didn’t have any doubts about choosing the arrow,” Alcaraz said. “So I will ask them what’s next if I win the next round.” For now, Alcaraz’s priority is continuing his comeback at Flushing Meadows. His strong opening rounds have suggested that the extended absence has not diminished his ability to compete at the highest level. But his comments also indicate that he is thinking beyond this tournament. Rather than trying to play every possible event, Alcaraz appears increasingly willing to sacrifice quantity for quality — taking time away from the tour so that when he does return, he can compete with the physical energy and mental enthusiasm he believes the sport demands.
