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.

Justine Henin has raised questions about Novak Djokovic’s state of mind after his early exit at the 2026 US Open, suggesting the 24-time major winner may be confronting a difficult new reality.

Djokovic’s tournament ended in a first-round shock, as he fell 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to world No 49 Mariano Navone. The loss was not only unexpected, but also visibly draining, with the 39-year-old Serbian revealing that he is dealing with an unspecified physical issue. He was blunt about how the match felt from his side, saying he “despised” being on court.

“When it comes to match itself and the overall feeling of how I felt with my body and playing, it was really not enjoyable,” said the 39-year-old Serb.

“I pretty much despised every moment that I spent on the court for that.”

Henin, speaking to Eurosport and HBO Max, said Djokovic’s reaction and future outlook will likely be shaped by how he processes a defeat that cut unusually deep. She noted that he has long had the resources to respond to setbacks, but that the balance may be changing as results become harder to sustain at the top end.

“For sure, there are so many questions coming into Novak Djokovic’s head because he always had the resources in the past to deal with what he went through,” said the Belgian.

“But he has also talked in the past two years about the fact that he is not winning as much in the past; not winning Grand Slams anymore.

“He still plays for the majors. He still plays to make the history of the game in another way. He wants also to keep enjoying what he does, but can you really can enjoy the game not being able to compete at the highest level?

“He was still at a very high level for a long time. He didn’t lose the first round in the Grand Slam for 20 years. Will it change the way he can see things? It will depend also on how he physically he can react in the next few weeks, in the next few months.

“But probably it’s a process, a process that we don’t have access to think about his future — to accept that maybe the best is behind him and that there is another life also in the future.”

Henin also said the timing of Djokovic’s next steps must be left to him, while acknowledging how difficult it is to watch champions near the end of a long run.

“It will be his timing. He cannot answer and we all have to accept it because it’s a process that is his own one. I don’t have the answer,” Henin continued.

“These champions, we always want to imagine in one way or another that they will live forever. They will remain legends, for sure, forever. We still want them to find some resources.

“It was hard with Roger [Federer]. It was also very hard with Rafa [Nadal], and it will be hard also in another way with Novak. So today, I’m a little bit more concerned than I was a few months ago.

“But in another way, there is nothing dramatic, no matter what he chooses in the next few months. I think tennis has a future and he will be a big part of the history of the game.

“It was a case of him trying to surpass himself one more time, getting these emotions also he’s looking for this with the crowd also.

“I think he wants to keep living this kind of emotions, but maybe with more joy in the future, so we will see.”

Day 2 of the 2026 US Open brought a wide range of headlines, from Carlos Alcaraz’s return to form to sharp post-match remarks from Aryna Sabalenka, plus reactions to Novak Djokovic’s early exit and more notable news across the draw.

Alcaraz marked his first singles match since a right wrist injury in April with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Roman Safiullin. Speaking after the match, the world No 3 said his game should continue to improve as he gets more time on court. “The level of tennis has got to be better. I’m happy with the levelled I played in my first official match in four months,” he said. “I’m proud about it. But I need more matches under the belt, get into the rhythm of the tournament. I’m pretty sure I’m going to get better and better after every day.”

Djokovic’s physical collapse in a five-set defeat to Mariano Navone remained a major subject of discussion, and Andy Roddick strongly criticised those urging the 24-time major champion to retire. “I think there’s a difference between wondering if it’ll be his last time, and being a dumbass on Twitter saying, ‘he should retire’,” said the former world No 1. “Shut up. He can make that decision. He’s in on his own entry. He’s made the semis more often than not recently. We don’t get a say in it. Everyone chooses their own path.”

Elsewhere, Alex Eala drew high praise ahead of her first-round match, with Greg Rusedski calling her “by far, in my opinion, the biggest star in our game.” He added, “I can’t wait for that opener. Looking forward to it and looking forward to ‘Eala Mania’ throughout these two weeks of the championships.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, after beating Arthur Fils, said he already knew about Nick Kyrgios’ positive cocaine test before the announcement. “I don’t know what to tell you. I mean, to be entirely honest with you, I knew about this before the announcement. Myself, I knew about it,” he said. “So what can I tell you? I will just tell you the truth. I knew about all of this before any announcement was made, and when I saw it on social media, I was, like, ‘here we go’. I kind of expected it, to be honest.”

Sabalenka, meanwhile, opened her title defence with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Camila Osorio and took aim at critics. “Honestly, it took me a little while to shut down those noises,” she said. “It’s always going to be people who support your choices, people who go against that, people who love you, who hate you. And I’m like, I’m so tired of those miserable haters.”