Just In: Big concerns over Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open singles hopes after he loses with Serena Williams
Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams are out of the US Open mixed doubles after losing in the quarter-finals against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli and now the tennis world will wait to see what happens next for the defending men’s singles champion in New York.
Alcaraz and Williams were all smiles during their time on court as they beat former doubles world No 1-ranked players Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in their opening match.
Williams was especially impressive in that opener, as she was the dominant player as Alcaraz made his first appearance in a competitive match since he injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April.
Alcaraz showed flashes of brilliance in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, but he admitted the tension got to him as he played alongside the legendary Williams for the first time.
“I think everybody could see, I double faulted on the first point, I was really nervous,” said Alcaraz after his win against Routliffe and Glasspool.
“Playing alongside Serena, full crowd, after four and a half months [injured], I almost forgot how it feels stepping on the court. But she made it easy for me, I tried to enjoy it and go for it.”
The superstar duo could not continue their run as they were beaten 5-4, 4-1 by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
Alcaraz and Williams collected $120,000 in prize money for their afternoon’s work, but former British No 1 Laura Robson was quick to cast doubt over whether Alcaraz will now attempt to play in the singles event that will get underway on Sunday.
Several high-profile observers like former world No 1 Andy Roddick and 1997 US Open finalist Greg Rusedski have suggested Alcaraz would be taking a big risk if he tries to play a best-of-five-set match in his first singles tournament in over four months.
Now Robson has joined that chorus of doubt, as she was quick to respond when asked whether she expected the Spaniard to play in the singles and she told Sky Sports: “It’s going to be tough. Coming back straight to be a best-of-five [set match] is going to be tough.”
Robson added: “We are so happy to see him back. He has been missed. They enjoyed it.”
It was clear that Alcaraz was not serving at full pace for most of the two matches he played alongside Williams, with some of his first serves rolling in at less than 100 mph.
While his ground shots looked to be working reasonably well given his long time away from competitive action, that serving issue may well be a big factor in deciding whether Alcaraz will compete in singles.
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We should not be surprised that Alcaraz was not at his best after so long out of action with a serious wrist problem and it was great to see the seven-time Grand Slam champion back on court and lighting up the biggest stage in tennis alongside Williams.
Yet unless he was holding back on his serve before unleashing its full power when he played singles as early as this Sunday, Alcaraz did not look ready to challenge for Grand Slam glory in his two matches with Williams.
Now all eyes will be on whether Alcaraz keeps his name in the singles draw that will be made on Thursday, with a singles comeback in an event like next month’s Laver Cup a realistic option if the US Open came too soon for him.
