Carlos Alcaraz sent clear warning by tennis legend after 'unique' US Open rule explained

Carlos Alcaraz could be hindered by a rule unique to the US Open, warns tennis icon Tin Henman, after recently recovering from injury.

Alcaraz suffered a fractured wrist during the Barcelona Open in mid-June, withdrawing from the event as a result after beating Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in straight sets.

The Spaniard has since endured a challenging couple of months, missing the action at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as Masters events in Madrid, Rome, Montreal, and Cincinnati.

Fortunately, the 23-year-old recovered in time to return to singles action at the US Open, coming through his first-round match against Russia’s Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 earlier this week.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion faces Portugal's Jaime Faria in the second round on Thursday, as he aims to complete a hat-trick of US Open triumphs, having won at Flushing Meadows in 2022 and 2025.

Alcaraz showed signs of his world-class level against Safiullin, but he will have that wrist issue in the back of his mind and will want to avoid suffering another injury.

Playing tennis after a wrist problem will always be a challenge, and that is made even harder for the world No.3 because the men's event at Flushing Meadows uses a different-sized ball than the women's competition in New York.

Sky Sports pundit and tennis icon Tim Henman explained why this rule is "unique" and how Alcaraz is impacted.

“I think it’s somewhat unique to this event," Henman said. "For a while, the men and women did use the same ball here, but I think it was a request from the WTA because the women used the extra-duty felt and they didn’t like it so much, so they went back to the normal ball."

Naomi Broady, another former professional tennis player, agreed with Henman's viewpoint and pointed out that a heavier ball could pose a "problem" to Alcaraz and anyone recovering from the same injury.

Broady added: “I think for me as well, it does intertwine with the conversation on the ATP Tour regarding the injuries and how many wrist injuries they have and should they be playing with a ball that is heavier? Would they be better off with a lighter ball?

“You’re then going to have shorter rallies because it’s harder to control, it’s going to move faster through the air, so there serves are going to be bigger, it’s going to be tougher to get returns and extend those longer rallies.

“But the way men’s tennis is going and how many injuries we’re seeing, I think it is a call from the players. Firstly to have a consistent ball used across the tour. There are so many variables. Not only are tennis courts changing week to week, but the ball is as well."

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Carlos Alcaraz 'felt great' after US Open first round win

Despite playing with a compression sleeve on his right arm, Alcaraz unleashed his trademark forehand with familiar ferocity, and that whippy stroke accounted for the majority of his 28 winners against Safiullin.

Speaking after his victory over the Russian, the Spaniard admitted that he 'felt great' and that bodes well for his chances at this tournament, especially with world No.1 Jannik Sinner pulling out before the tournament with a knee issue.

"I felt great. I don't know how it looked from outside, but from inside, my feeling was that I was hitting normal," Alcaraz said.

"I was playing pretty normal, playing my style, and everything felt great."

The big challenge for the tennis prodigy is sustaining his form throughout the event and not letting fatigue get the better of him after a long time out.