Some victories are measured in sets. Others are measured in the distance travelled simply to stand on the court again.
For Carlos Alcaraz, Monday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium belonged emphatically to the second category.
After 139 days without playing a competitive singles match, the defending US Open champion walked back into the biggest tennis stadium in the world and defeated Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
But this was anything but an ordinary first-round victory. A wrist injury took away his clay-court season. It took away Roland Garros. It took away Wimbledon. And for months it placed a question mark beside one of the most electrifying careers in modern tennis. So when the 23-year-old emerged onto Ashe, there was inevitably rustiness and hunger
There were nerves, too ofcourse. Alcaraz later admitted that he had almost forgotten what match day felt like. Yet beneath all that uncertainty, the essential Alcaraz remained unmistakable.
The forehand began to crack. The drop shot returned. The extraordinary court coverage — that ability to turn a point that appears completely lost into one his opponent suddenly has to win all over again — was there. And gradually, the smile returned with it.This wasn’t vintage Alcaraz.
