Carlos Alcaraz’s return to competition at the US Open offered plenty of encouragement, even if his campaign ended with a five-set defeat to Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.

The Spaniard arrived in New York under a cloud of uncertainty after spending four and a half months away from tennis following a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open. Questions about whether he could quickly find his highest level were understandable, but they faded fast as he moved through the early rounds with authority.

Alcaraz defeated Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, Wu Yibing, and Tommy Paul to reach the last eight, losing only one set along the way. That kind of progress confirmed that his return was far stronger than many had expected.

The harder work now comes after the US Open. His calendar includes an exhibition appearance at the Laver Cup, the Six Kings Slam, and the ATP Tour’s Asian swing. It is a demanding run at a stage of the season when Alcaraz has not always produced his best tennis, and that trend will matter if he wants to keep closing the gap on Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner.

At present, Alcaraz is closer to Ben Shelton in fourth than he is to Zverev in second, and history suggests that may still be the case by the end of the 2026 season.

The closing months also carry another obstacle. Alcaraz has not yet won either of the final two Masters events of the year, the Shanghai Masters or the Paris Masters. His record in Shanghai is limited to three appearances and a best showing of the quarter-finals in 2024. Paris has been even less kind, with two second-round exits, including last year’s loss to Cameron Norrie, plus two third-round departures. Across five appearances there, he owns a 50% winning rate, which makes it his weakest Masters event by some distance.

Between the end of the US Open and the close of the season, Alcaraz has won only two tournaments, the China Open in 2024 and the Japan Open in 2025, both ATP 500 events.

John McEnroe has made a bold forecast about Alexander Zverev after the German’s 2026 US Open victory.

Zverev defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in Sunday’s final to claim his second Grand Slam title. The 29-year-old had already lifted his first major trophy at the 2026 French Open, and his season has also included a Wimbledon final and an Australian Open semi-final.

Before 2026, Zverev had gone 0-3 in Grand Slam finals, and he had often been described as the best player yet to win a major. McEnroe said the turnaround should not be viewed as a surprise, insisting the world No 2 had been “unlucky” to wait this long.

Speaking on ESPN after his final commentary duties, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion said: “He was arguably unlucky. He should have had a couple of majors before this,”

McEnroe then went further, predicting that Zverev could end the season as world No 1 ahead of Jannik Sinner.

“So, uh, karma works in crazy ways, and somehow, he’s gonna finish the year the number one ranked player in the world,” McEnroe continued.

He also praised the quality of the final, saying Zverev “was certainly the better player today” and describing the performance as “a really strong strategic match, as well as an emotionally intense match, as well as a physical match.”

After the win at Flushing Meadows, Zverev now has 9,690 ranking points, leaving him 1,810 behind Sinner at the top of the official standings. In the Race to Turin, however, Zverev is first with 8,650 points. Sinner, who missed the US Open because of a knee injury, is second on 7,950, Shelton is third with 4,430, and Carlos Alcaraz is fourth on 4,050 after reaching the quarter-finals in New York. Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon with a right wrist injury.

Alexander Zverev has added another major milestone to his strong 2026 campaign, winning his first US Open crown after a four-set victory over Ben Shelton. The German’s plan was executed with authority, and the home crowd at Flushing Meadows was left to drift out in disappointment as the final unfolded.

The result gave Zverev his second Grand Slam title of the year, a figure that stands above the rest on the men’s side in 2026. That followed his first major triumph at Roland Garros in June, a breakthrough that already marked this season as the most productive of his career at the biggest events.

With the US Open now complete, attention naturally turns to the world No 1 ranking. Zverev sits just 1810 points behind Jannik Sinner, making the gap narrow enough for the race to remain alive heading into the closing stretch of the season.

Boris Becker, Zverev’s compatriot, suggested the timing may be close to decisive. Writing on social media after the US Open title was secured, Becker said: “Think Sascha is gonna take it by the time Turin comes along.”

That reference points to the ATP Finals in Turin, the season-ending event for the eight highest-ranked players in men’s tennis. Zverev, Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz have already secured their places for the tournament, which begins on 15th November.

The German has a particularly important window ahead, especially with Sinner managing injury concerns. The Italian’s knee ruled him out of the US Open and he is expected back at the China Open, which starts on September 30th.

There is also a significant points dynamic at play. Sinner is defending 3550 points before the season ends, based on titles at the China Open, the Vienna Open, the Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals in 2025. Zverev, by contrast, has only 1,040 points to protect and did not win a title during this stretch last year.

That leaves Zverev with a clear opening before the ATP season closes. He returns to action at the Laver Cup from September 25th to 27th, where he will represent Team Europe alongside Alcaraz, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, and Casper Ruud against Team World.