The US Open has been overshadowed by a growing list of withdrawals, with the tournament facing the kind of disruption that has reignited debate over the demands of the modern calendar.

A total of 23 players are absent from this year’s entry list, and several of the ATP Tour’s leading names have chosen not to take part in New York. Jannik Sinner is the most notable withdrawal after an injury to his knee, while Joao Fonseca, Jack Draper, Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud are also among those missing from the event.

Thanasi Kokkinaki became the 14th man to pull out, prompting an official response from the ATP Tour as concern around the scale of the withdrawals has intensified.

In a statement to Sky Sports Tennis, the governing body said: “Professional tennis is physically demanding and injuries are rarely attributable to a single factor.

“Every case has its own context, shaped by factors including a player’s medical and injury history, match and training load, travel, surface transitions, recovery and playing conditions.”

Patrick Mouratoglou has offered a different explanation. The coach said he believes two issues are central to the rise in injuries this season. Speaking to Sky Sports Tennis, he said: “There are many more injuries and this year particularly. I think the two major problems are the change of balls and the body having to adapt not only to the surfaces, not only to the weather conditions, but also the balls and some are heavier, some are softer.

“I think this is harming the body. The second one I can think of is the fact that now the surfaces are much slower than 20 years ago, which pushes the player to play longer rallies, hit the ball harder.

“To hit winners now you have to really go for it and, if you look at the new generation, all of them are hitting the ball extremely hard – and most of them are injured.”

Complaints about balls have surfaced on both tours this season, with Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev among those to raise concerns. The US Open remains the only Grand Slam where the men and women use different balls, with the women playing with the more traditional version used across much of the North American hard-court swing and the men using a heavier ball at Flushing Meadows.

For players, the issue remains consistency across the full 10-month season.

Carlos Alcaraz began his US Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin on the Grand Slam’s second day, marking a successful return to competition after a wrist injury forced him out since April’s Barcelona Open.

The Spaniard needed only one match to remind the field why he remains among the favourites for the title, especially with Novak Djokovic already gone and Jannik Sinner absent from the draw. His reward is a second-round meeting with Jaime Faria, while the road ahead could become far more demanding if he keeps progressing.

Not everyone is fully convinced the tournament will unfold smoothly for him. Greg Rusedski remains wary of Alcaraz’s condition, but several other pundits have pointed to the ease of his New York start as a positive sign.

On Sky Sports’ US Open coverage, Martina Navratilova described the timing of Alcaraz’s comeback as a “perfect situation” after his five-month absence. She said the match did not overtax him and argued that the best-of-five format can work in his favour, provided his arm stays healthy.

“He was pushed but not too much, he is going to get better and the three out of five format really helps him here, as long as the arm doesn’t get hurt,” continued Navratilova.

“If it holds up, three out of five is great because it gives him a little cushion. He doesn’t have to stress about getting broken and the other guy has to play well for three of five sets and that gives him a chance to get into the tournament.

“You could see during the match that he became more comfortable and at the end he hit that unbelievable drop shot volley inside out. He is all back!”

Navratilova also recalled speaking to him backstage after he had secured his place in round two.

“I bumped into him in the hallway,” she added. “He is so happy to be back and see everybody, that’s what he said. You can see it. He is a competitor and a kid at heart.

“He is playing a sport for a living and he is phenomenal at it and what is not to love? It is so great to have him back.”

If Alcaraz gets through Faria, he would next face either James Duckworth or Wu Yibing. A possible fourth-round match against Alexander Bublik or Tommy Paul would provide a much sterner examination of his limited match practice.

Carlos Alcaraz opened his singles campaign at the US Open with a straight-sets victory over Roman Safiullin, booking his place in the second round in New York.

It was a welcome return to competitive action for the Spaniard, who had not played since April after hurting his wrist at the Barcelona Open. His comeback unfolded without complication as he beat the Russian 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and moved on to face Jaime Faria next.

The result may not have brought the sternest examination Alcaraz is likely to encounter later in the tournament, but it offered a clear first indication that his status as one of the favourites is justified.

Brad Gilbert has already offered a positive read on the performance. Speaking on The Big T Podcast, the American coach said: “I was very impressed with his movement, [he] didn’t look rusty.

“Safiullin is the kind of guy who plays big, and he’s like one of those guys, he can go away for two years, not do anything, he made the round of 16 at Wimbledon, he’s a dangerous player. So I thought that was a great start.

“If you’d told me that match went five sets, I was kind of expecting him at some point to maybe struggle in that match. I need to see him in a few matches before I can really make an assessment.”

Gilbert also suggested that another couple of strong outings could alter the atmosphere around Alcaraz in the locker room.

“If he starts to play like that and get a couple of matches under his belt, I think that all of a sudden in the locker room, the view might change a little bit, that like: ‘Uh-oh, he’s not here just to compete, he’s here to win it’. So I do think it was a very positive start for him.”

The win also extended an impressive run for Alcaraz. It was his 15th straight hardcourt victory at Grand Slams, built on titles at the 2026 Australian Open and the 2025 US Open.

That makes him the youngest player to reach 15 consecutive hardcourt Grand Slam wins in 32 years, since Pete Sampras did the same in the 1994 ATP Tour season.

Alcaraz has now won 25 of his first 28 matches at the US Open. In Open Era history, only Arthur Ashe, with 28, and John McEnroe, with 27, have managed as many wins at the event in as few matches.