Carlos Alcaraz may not have defended his US Open crown, but he emerged from New York without any setback, which was the primary concern after a long spell away from competition.

The 23-year-old’s run ended in the quarter-finals after a demanding five-set defeat to Ben Shelton, who produced a major effort in a match that finished at around 3.30am. Shelton came through 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a contest that pushed both players to the limit.

For Alcaraz, the significance of the tournament went beyond the result. It was his first event back after more than four months sidelined by a wrist injury, and simply getting through the event healthy represented an important step in his recovery and return.

After the loss, Alcaraz made clear that he viewed the week in positive terms. He said, “I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile. I am proud of myself, how I fought. As I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete, play these kind of matches, be healthy.”

He later added, “ I’m eager to get back home, to train, to compete, and in the end, this is what we’ve been missing, and getting back home healthy is the most important thing.”

Rennae Stubbs has since spoken about the Spaniard’s condition and mindset as he looks ahead to the rest of his 2026 season. Speaking on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, she said, “He [Alcaraz] ran out of gas. I actually had a little text with him a couple of days after and he said the arm was really good. So that’s really positive for him. But he was knackered. He hadn’t played a five set match in four months.

“Did you see the face that he had when he walked off the court smiling? You know, everyone walks off that court, they’ve either got a towel over their head or they’re like pouting or they’re like throwing rackets or whatever.

“This guy walks off with a smile on his face. He just he’s so happy just to be healthy. And he loved every second of that warrior battle till 3.30 in the morning. If you don’t like Carlos Alcaraz, I’m sorry. We can’t be friends. Because this guy is the best.”

Alcaraz is next due at the Laver Cup later this month, before heading to the Japan Open. How often he plays after that remains to be seen.

Juan Carlos Ferrero has indicated that a coaching comeback may be near, although he is not saying which player will be the beneficiary.

The former French Open champion split from Carlos Alcaraz last December, ending a partnership that lasted seven years and produced six Grand Slam titles. Ferrero later made clear that he would have preferred to keep working with the 23-year-old, whom he once called his “fourth child”.

In 2026, Samuel Lopez has been Alcaraz’s main coach. The season has already brought major highs and lengthy disruption, with Alcaraz completing the career Grand Slam in Australia before a wrist injury kept him out for more than four months.

Ferrero had already said in June that he would be open to coaching world No 1 Jannik Sinner one day. Now he appears set to return to the tour, but the identity of the player involved is still being kept private.

Speaking about life away from the circuit, Ferrero said he has enjoyed time with family and expects to be back in a coaching box at some stage. He told Movistar+, “ This year I’m very calm, enjoying my family and preparing for what’s coming next year. I think I’m going to return to the tennis circuit, but I can’t say with whom.”

That has naturally led to speculation. Rafael Jodar has been mentioned, with the young Spaniard currently coached by his father, Rafael Jodar Senior. Alex de Minaur is another name in the conversation after a difficult 2026, though he still works with Adolfo Gutierrez. Daniil Medvedev also made a recent coaching change, beginning a trial with Andrey Golubev in mid-August. Félix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, has not yet named a replacement for Frédéric Fontang.

Ferrero also revisited his time with Alcaraz, saying they have not spoken much since the split. He admitted he would alter some methods in hindsight, but not the overall approach. “In hindsight, I’d change a few small things, but not the essence. I imposed tough training and discipline on Carlos right from the start. I pushed him to the limit many times. I kept him grounded. That’s my way of doing things, and the work paid off.

“We don’t talk much. I wrote to him when he won in Australia and in Doha. I spoke to him when he got injured. Nothing more. We both needed space to start over.”

Jannik Sinner remains the official world No 1 despite missing the US Open, but Alexander Zverev has narrowed the gap in the closing stretch of the 2026 season after his New York title.

Sinner’s injury absence has allowed Zverev to chip away at a lead that once looked substantial. The German’s US Open triumph is the latest result to alter the shape of the men’s rankings race, even if the official ATP list still reflects a 52-week system rather than current form.

That is where the ATP Race offers a different view. Built around results from this calendar year, it also decides qualification for the ATP Finals in Turin. In that year-to-date picture, Zverev has moved ahead of Sinner and now stands as No 1.

His season has been underlined by a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, a place in the Wimbledon final, and victories at the French Open and US Open. Those results have made him the standout performer in 2026 by the race standings.

Ben Shelton’s run to the US Open final has lifted him to No 3 in the ATP Race, with Carlos Alcaraz at No 4 and Flavio Cobolli at No 5.

The UTR Rating presents another variation of the men’s game, and it is not flattering for Novak Djokovic. After his first-round exit at the US Open, he sits at No 15 in that system. He is No 12 in both the ATP Rankings and ATP Race.

UTR MEN’S RATING
1. Jannik Sinner
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Arthur Fils
5. Rafael Jodar
6. Ben Shelton
7. Taylor Fritz
8. Felix Auger-Aliassime
9. Frances Tiafoe
10. Sebastian Korda

In the women’s game, Elena Rybakina has climbed to world No 1 after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final, and she also leads the WTA Race for 2026. She is more than 1,000 points clear of Sabalenka in the year-to-date standings.

Rybakina also heads the UTR list, where Sabalenka has dropped to No 6. Alex Eala leads that ranking, with Coco Gauff second and Elina Svitolina third. Eala is listed at No 15, three places higher than her official WTA ranking.

UTR WOMEN’S RATING
1. Elena Rybakina
2. Coco Gauff
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Iga Swiatek
5. Marta Kostyuk
6. Aryna Sabalenka1
7. Mirra Andreeva
8. Linda Noskova
9. Karolina Muchova1
10. Jessica Pegula