After an injury-plagued season, followed by a US Open heartbreak, defending the Japan Open title seemed out of reach for Carlos Alcaraz. But his Tokyo title defense offered the Spaniard a perfect chance to revive his season.
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“It’s extra special to win a title again,” he said after the match. “It’s been a while. To win a trophy in my second tournament back is amazing. “I didn’t find my best tennis all week, but I found the right solutions to win. Today I played the best match of the entire tournament. I’m really happy”
In the first match against Alex Michelsen, he somehow managed to win the match 7-6, 4-6, 6-1. While he wrapped up in straight sets against Matteo Arnaldi and Denis Shapovalov, he dealt with a similar ordeal of his first sets going into tiebreak in all the cases.
He self-diagnosed this issue and admitted that he was “frustrated” with his struggling serve. However, with long rallies and saving break points, he earned a spot in the final. And the Spaniard was determined not to repeat the same mistakes.
Jiri Lehecka started off strongly, pushing Alcaraz to his limits and locking horns in a tiebreak. But the Spaniard came prepared this time. He dominated the tiebreaks before claiming an early break in the sixth game and closed out the match with a backhand winner to defend the title.
However, Alcaraz’s campaign last year looked very different. After two Grand Slam wins at the French Open and US Open, he was the top contender for the title even with a minor ankle injury. He dropped just one set in his entire 2025 Tokyo run, which came in the semifinal against Casper Ruud, and clinched an easy victory over Taylor Fritz in the final.
However, things were not the same for him this year round. His year started off strong with a Grand Slam win at the Australian Open. But that seems to be the only time he peaked in the entire season.
The seven-time major winner sustained a wrist injury playing against Otto Virtanen in the Barcelona Open in April, and struggled to get back on to the court for four months. His much-awaited return happened at the US Open, but the excitement of it soon faded away after Ben Shelton bested him in the quarterfinal. That’s why it became all the more important for him to be able to prove himself in his second event back.
Carlos Alcaraz Indebted to His Team
Carlos Alcaraz’s team has also gone through a round of shuffling since Juan Carlos Ferrero made an exit. But they were able to help the Spaniard get the right boost of confidence before his match and Alcaraz did not forget to acknowledge that after the win.
“What a journey we have been through,” he said during the trophy ceremony. “My injury process was very long, and there were doubts and good and bad moments, but you gave everything you had so that I would be at my highest level upon my return, and you took care of my injury so that I would not suffer a setback.”
“You make me better on and off the court. I feel very lucky that I can work with you.”
Since Ferrero’s exit, Samuel Lopez has joined Alcaraz’s team as the coach. However, his return did not seem possible after his team announced his withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open. But his fitness trainers and doctors have played an equally important role in getting him back on his feet and ready before the US Open.
This makes his win all the more important, making this an important chapter in his redemption arc, which is still a work in progress.