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.”

Alex Eala has been working with Toni Nadal ahead of her opening US Open match, bringing one of tennis’s most respected coaching voices into her practice sessions in New York.

Toni Nadal, the uncle of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, was central to the development of his nephew from the junior ranks into one of the sport’s all-time greats. His presence now around Eala underlines the standing he still holds inside a player’s team.

Eala came through the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, where Toni has also helped shape an academy that has produced several notable professionals in recent seasons. Casper Ruud, Jaume Munar, Martin Landaluce and Coleman Wong have all reached the ATP top 100 after time at the academy. On the WTA Tour, Argentina’s Solana Sierra and Alina Korneeva have also moved into the top 100 after emerging from the same setting.

Eala appears to be the strongest candidate yet to become the academy’s biggest breakthrough, and Toni seems eager to offer her guidance as she prepares to contest a Grand Slam as a contender for the first time.

Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has been among her supporters, and on the latest edition of his podcast he praised Toni Nadal’s involvement while expecting a direct approach from the coach.

“Well, I think he’ll be direct and that’s what everybody respects,” declared Rusedski.

He added that the pair likely already have a solid working relationship from the academy, and stressed the importance of honesty, transparency, and keeping communication aligned with the player. Rusedski also said, “Having a guy who has won so many majors with his nephew in your team can only be good news for Eala.”

Rusedski then pointed to Eala’s history of record-breaking progress and said she could go on to win multiple Grand Slam titles. He described her as a major story for tennis, for the WTA, and for her country, and finished by calling her “the biggest star in women’s tennis right now, no question.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas delivered a notably direct reaction when asked about Nick Kyrgios’ positive test for cocaine, offering an answer that was far from guarded.

Former world No 13 Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency after failing a dope test at the Mallorca Championships in June this year. The Australian later addressed the issue on social media, writing “I made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it” and adding that he would “do the work and come back better”. He now faces a possible ban of up to four years, the maximum penalty for an anti-doping violation.

Tsitsipas, however, suggested the case was not simply an isolated lapse. Speaking in a post-match press conference after his opening-round victory over Arthur Fils at the US Open, he was asked: “How did you react when you heard about Nick Kyrgios’ suspension for doping? Did it surprise you?”

After a pause, Tsitsipas said: “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.

“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.”

When asked again, “Did you know about this from before?”, he responded: “I knew that those were things that were happening away from the tennis courts, I will tell you that.

“I’m not going to try and cover up someone that I know the truth for. I’ll consider myself a nice person with everyone, but these were behaviours that I personally heard on the tour and heard other people in that same environment saying those sort of things to me.

“Again, when I saw it, I was like, well, pretty much expected to be honest. I am surprised it came so late though.”

Kyrgios has also faced scrutiny because he previously criticised Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep after their own failed dope tests and subsequent bans.