The Spaniard did not try to hide what the enforced break had done to his head. Speaking to Tennis TV on court in Tokyo after beating Jiří Lehečka in the final, Alcaraz said the uncertainty of recovery had been the hardest part of his return.

“Obviously, negative thoughts come to your mind. If you’re going to come back healthy, the same as I was before. If I will be able to be more normal, without pain at all,” Alcaraz told the broadcaster.

“A lot of thoughts came to my mind, but I tried to stay away, put those thoughts away all the time.”

The 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win over Lehečka on 6 October was his first title since February and came in only his second tournament back.

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A layoff that started in Monte Carlo

The wrist problem had kept Alcaraz off tour for more than four months. His last match before the layoff had been the Monte-Carlo Masters final against Jannik Sinner, according to Sky Sports, and the Tokyo final was his second event back on tour.

Behind the on-court composure in Japan was a man still measuring himself against the player he had been before the injury. Alcaraz said he had not been sure, even once he started hitting again, that the body would hold up.

“I knew, my team and I knew, that if I come back, I’m going to be healthy 100%. I trust them, I trust myself, and it worked out,” he told Tennis TV.

Second Tokyo title in a row

The final itself did not go to plan early on. Lehečka, the world No. 19, pushed Alcaraz into a first-set tiebreak before the Spaniard pulled away and broke serve in the second to close out the win in two hours and 11 minutes.

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Alcaraz, now the world No. 3, became the first player to retain the Tokyo men’s title in back-to-back years since Pete Sampras in 1994. His own verdict on the week was that the result mattered more than the level.

“I’m really happy about it. A tough week. I didn’t find my best level, but I did find the good solutions, and I think that is what matters at the end,” he said after the final.

The 27th tour title of his career was also only his third of the 2026 season, a season he had feared he might finish empty-handed.

“I didn’t know if I was going to win a tournament this soon or if I was going to win a tournament this season,” Alcaraz told reporters, according to AFP’s report carried by France24.

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Shanghai next

Alcaraz has a first-round bye at the Shanghai Masters and opens his campaign on 9 October against the winner of Juan Manuel Cerúndolo and Nicolás Mejía.

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