Carlos Alcaraz insisted he left the US Open feeling healthy and with a smile on his face despite vomiting during his marathon quarter-final defeat by Ben Shelton.
The world No 3 was sick into a towel before the deciding set of an extraordinary encounter which continued beyond 3am in New York.
Alcaraz nevertheless recovered sufficiently to fight until the end, eventually losing a final-set tie-break as Shelton completed a dramatic upset at Flushing Meadows.
The Spaniard had arrived at the tournament following a four-month absence caused by a right wrist injury and maintained that merely being able to compete in such a demanding contest represented an important step forward.
“I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete and play in these kinds of matches being healthy,” Alcaraz said afterwards.
“It (the match) was close. So I’m just not going to be disappointed about not getting the win. I’m just happy. I’m just proud of myself, about how I fought.”
Alcaraz found himself trailing by two sets to one but responded impressively, winning six of the next seven games to force the match into a decider.
His physical condition had begun to deteriorate during the third set, however, and the eight-time Grand Slam champion later admitted that tiredness had taken its toll.
“After the third set, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and give extra,” he said.
Alcaraz then vomited into his towel before returning to the court for the fifth set.
Despite that concerning moment, he began to feel stronger as the decider progressed and saved three break points at 4-4 to keep himself in contention.
Shelton ultimately prevailed in the decisive tie-break, becoming the first player to defeat Alcaraz in a five-set match at a major since 2022.
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The result ended the Spaniard’s run of 12 consecutive five-set victories at Grand Slam tournaments.
“In the fifth set I just started to feel better but he is a beast,” Alcaraz said.
“Shelton is an unbelievable player and powerful.
“He just managed to play really well in every situation, so credit to him.
“I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
Alcaraz had not contested a Tour-level singles match since appearing at the Barcelona Open in April, with his wrist problem forcing him to spend an extended period on the sidelines.
He made an encouraging return in New York by beating Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, Wu Yibing and Tommy Paul before running into an inspired Shelton.
The quarter-final was the first match in US Open history to finish after 3am, adding another extraordinary chapter to Alcaraz’s collection of late-night battles at Flushing Meadows.
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