Carlos Alcaraz Reveals Why He Smiled After Losing Marathon US Open Match: “I Suffered, But I Enjoyed”

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a lot during his grueling quarterfinal US Open match against eventual runner-up Ben Shelton. But in spite of his defeat, he enjoyed the tough competition.

And it’s because he missed playing. He played a tournament for the first time in four months because a wrist injury forced him to withdraw from several tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon.

Alcaraz did not have high expectations for the US Open, so he was not disappointed after losing the quarterfinals. After a four-hour, 28-minute battle that ended at 3:33 am, a smiling Alcaraz left Arthur Ashe Stadium and later told reporters he was “happy” despite the defeat.

Many praised him for his positive attitude, but Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, struggled to understand why someone like Alcaraz was not disappointed after such a defeat in a Grand Slam event. Alcaraz, who is in London for the Laver Cup, gave an interview to BBC Sport during which he revealed what exactly made him happy after that defeat.

The quarter-final was great – it was a gift for me. I suffered, but I enjoyed and that’s why I smiled when I walked out of the court because I missed that feeling.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion competed in New York as the defending champion. Last year, he cruised past Jannik Sinner in four sets and lifted his second title in the tournament. Sinner, however, did not play there as he was recovering from a knee injury.

In that same interview, Alcaraz said he misses playing against his arch-rival and seeing him around on the tour. If reports are to be believed, Sinner will return to action at the China Open, set to start on September 30.

That means the two rivals won’t be in the same draw again, as Alcaraz, following the Laver Cup, will be bidding to defend his title at the Japan Open, where he defeated Taylor Fritz last year. The ATP 500 event in Tokyo starts on September 30.

Yannick Noah was worried Carlos Alcaraz might skip the Laver Cup

Team Europe captain Yannick Noah, on the Off Court with Greg podcast, admitted he was concerned about Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing from the Laver Cup after the 23-year-old talked about the packed calendar during the US Open. The World No. 3 said he would skip tournaments and take a long break in the future to avoid possible injuries from competing in too many tournaments.

It’s always a pleasure to have Carlos in the team. I love the kid, he’s a great kid. Carlos is great to be around, he’s a great athlete, person, champion. I love being around him.

Yannick Noah said

Alcaraz injured his wrist while playing in Barcelona. In Tokyo, he will play his third ATP 500 event of the season after the Barcelona Open and the Qatar Open, where he beat Arthur Fils to win his second title of the season.

And yes, I was worried during the tournament when the players started to talk about too many tournaments, too much travelling. So I’m like, ‘Oh, no, I need my team.’ Of course we have so many players, but I just wanted to spend some time with them. You know, we have revenge to take. I just saw him earlier we had a talk. Right now he’s on the court practicing. 

Yannick Noah added

Last year at the Laver Cup, Team Europe won 15-9. Alcaraz made his debut in the tournament in 2024.

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