Carlos Alcaraz says he is "feeling great" as he prepares for his US Open defence in what will be the Spaniard's first appearance since recovering from a right wrist injury sustained in April. Alcaraz's long absence has clouded his prospects, but the seven-time Grand Slam champion has built a reputation for producing his best tennis on the grandest stages and cannot be discounted despite the uncertainty surrounding his return. He will launch his title defence against Russia's Roman Safiullin following a quick tune-up alongside Serena Williams in the mixed doubles.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "I'm feeling very good, and I think that injury helped me a lot to understand that right now, everything is in my head. I have to trust my team, trust the people who tell me that everything is going to be fine," said the 23-year-old. "So I just have to go 100 per cent.
Right now, with the training I've done so far, everything has gone well. I'm trying to get away from that fear and play normally." There were fears Alcaraz may have had to tinker with the playing style in order to stop the problem from flaring up again - Britain's Jack Draper attempted to change his serve in a bid to get over his injury problems but remains frustratingly on the sidelines. But Alcaraz insists he just needs competitive action.
"I haven't changed anything. I've been doing the same things. I haven't changed anything technically, in terms of my movements or the way I'm going to play," he said.
"I just wanted to feel that I was going to be myself. I knew that coming here to the US Open, being a best-of-five-set tournament and being my first tournament after such a long time, was going to be a huge challenge. "Probably, in terms of preparation, it wasn't the ideal time.
But my team and I believe that I'm ready. It wasn't an easy decision. I did everything I needed to do to be ready.
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