Carlos Alcaraz has said he intends to play fewer tournaments in future, warning that the increasingly demanding tennis calendar is placing too much physical pressure on players.

The Spaniard made the comments after advancing to the third round of the US Open with a four-set victory over Portugal’s Jaime Faria.

Alcaraz, the reigning US Open champion, recovered from a slow start to win 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 40 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion has only recently returned from a four-month absence caused by a wrist injury.

Although he said he would not have chosen to spend such a long period away from competition, Alcaraz believes planned breaks will become necessary if players are to protect themselves from injury.

He said he expects to miss selected tournaments in future and may take breaks lasting one or two months rather than attempting to compete throughout the entire season.

According to Alcaraz, the expanding number of important tournaments has made it increasingly difficult for top players to maintain a full schedule.

He warned that fatigue and injuries are already becoming more common across the sport and said the problem could worsen if the structure of the calendar does not change.

Alcaraz’s own return to competition showed some signs of rust against Faria.

He said his difficulties in the opening set began after he failed to convert a break-point opportunity that would have given him a 4-2 advantage.

Faria instead levelled at 3-3 before breaking Alcaraz in the following game to move ahead 4-3.

Alcaraz admitted that he became impatient after missing the earlier opportunity and began rushing points, which contributed to the loss of serve.

Faria took advantage to win the first set, but the momentum changed sharply in the second.

The Portuguese player struggled on serve while Alcaraz increased the pace of his groundstrokes and began taking greater control of the rallies.

After saving two break points in the opening game of the second set, Alcaraz dominated the remainder of the set.

He broke Faria three times to take the set 6-0 and level the match.

Alcaraz carried that momentum into the third set, breaking early to move 2-0 ahead.

Faria immediately responded with a break of his own, but Alcaraz broke again in the next game to establish a 3-1 advantage.

The remainder of the set stayed on serve, allowing Alcaraz to move ahead by two sets to one.

In the fourth set, the Spaniard secured two breaks of serve and moved into a commanding 5-1 lead.

He then served out the match to complete the comeback and secure his place in the third round.

While the victory continued Alcaraz’s return from injury, his post-match comments reflected a broader concern about player workload.

The Spaniard made clear that managing his schedule will become a more important part of his career, even if that means voluntarily skipping significant tournaments.

For Alcaraz, the priority is increasingly not simply to play as often as possible, but to remain healthy enough to compete at the highest level over the long term.