2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Sydney Schaefer) Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, returns the ball to Jaime Faria, of Portugal, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept.
Carlos Alcaraz says he plans to take regular breaks from tennis in the future, even if that means skipping some tournaments. The Spaniard believes the packed ATP calendar is becoming too demanding and could leave players exhausted or injured.
Alcaraz Advances to Third Round After Comeback Victory
Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a first-set loss to defeat Portugal’s Jaime Faria with a score of 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2, securing his place in the third round.
This match marks Alcaraz’s return to competition after a four-month hiatus due to a wrist injury. Reflecting on his time away from the sport, he acknowledged the necessity of breaks to maintain his performance. “I took more than I wanted, to be honest,” Alcaraz stated. He emphasized that while he did not wish to be sidelined by injury, he may consider shorter, planned breaks in the future to manage the demanding tournament calendar. “Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it’s impossible to play them all,” he added.
Alcaraz concerned about player workload
The 22-year-old feels players are being pushed to compete in too many major events, leaving little time to recover. The Spaniard hit 43 winners and converted seven of 12 break points to complete the comeback. The victory extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 16 matches and improved his US Open record to 26-3. Alcaraz, a two-time US Open champion, is now 9-0 at the majors in 2026.
He won eight games in a row and broke Faria’s serve five times consecutively to take control.
In a way they making us to play,” Alcaraz said. “You can decide your calendar, but there are some Masters 1000s, some Grand Slams, and we’ve been out playing 40 weeks if we got to play every mandatory tournament that the ATP required us to play,” he added. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines “I think they adding more important tournaments. “So it’s impossible, and we are seeing a lot of players getting injured, a lot of players getting tired. If they don’t do anything about it, we are going to see even more in the future,” he warned. On court, Alcaraz recovered impressively after dropping the opening set. He next faces China’s Wu Yibing. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.