A look up to the camera in the player tunnel, grinning from ear to ear in the face of the narrowest of defeats is not what most would expect from a seven-time major champion accustomed to greater heights.
In just his first tournament back following more than four months sidelined due to a wrist injury, however, context was immediately forthcoming for Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spaniard, who completed the career Grand Slam at Australian Open 2026 over a resurgent Novak Djokovic, had lost just the second five-set match of his career – to eventual finalist Ben Shelton in the US Open quarterfinals.
After doubts whether he would even make it back in time for his title defence, that joy of competing before a packed stadium came flooding back.
While many would have dwelled on the what-ifs of a fifth-set tiebreak defeat and how far off they remained from their usual level, Alcaraz instead saw this as a giant stride in the right direction.
It didn’t take long for the comeback to shift up a gear once the tour headed to Asia and indoors, ideal timing as he headed towards his first off-season preparing to defend an Australian Open title.
“The week and a half or two weeks that I had after the US Open was really important for me, that I took off almost a week without touching my racquet to recover the body well after such demanding matches physically,” Alcaraz said. “I did a lot of physical work that I needed, to be honest.
“I'm just slowly getting back to my normal rhythm, to my normal level in terms of, you know, tennis-wise and physically, and, yeah, the serve has been a really important weapon so far for me, so I've been practising a lot and made a couple of small changes.”
The post-US Open reset could not have fallen at a better time for the 23-year-old who has since compiled a 17-1 a record in singles with the ATP Finals in Turin still to come.
Glitches were to be expected on the journey back. That sole post-New York defeat came in the second round of the Shanghai Masters to Zizou Bergs, where Alcaraz lamented an error-riddled performance.
Crucially though, trophies were again becoming the norm.
Team success immediately followed his post-US Open break at Laver Cup, before ATP 500 titles in Tokyo and Vienna over Jiri Lehecka and Alex de Minaur, respectively, either side of his Shanghai defeat.
Then came his most promising run since his return – a first ATP Masters 1000 crown of the season in Paris where he saved match points against Taylor Fritz, dismantled Casper Ruud and avenged his US Open defeat with a statement win over Shelton in the final.
Alcaraz deemed it the best week since his comeback, a “step forward mentally” and a promising outlook ahead of his return to Melbourne Park in January. There, he will bid to join Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as just the third man in the Open era to complete the career Grand Slam twice.
“It was a long period of time that I was out, so I had a lot of time to think, to feel, and there are some moments that I was sure that I was going to come back at my best. There were some moments that I doubt about myself, I'm not gonna lie,” he said.
“If I was going to hit the forehand, you know, at my best, at my 100 per cent again, if I'm going to feel the wrist again, if I'm going to be healthy again, there were some doubts about it.
“But, you know, I would say that when you're surrounded by great people, great professionals that I am surrounded by, and trust your team at 100 per cent, I would say it's easier to come back.
“I'm just really happy that I made a great job and we are here in this position right now.”