Carlos Alcaraz arrives at the US Open this year with several questions marks lingering over the Spaniard.

Alcaraz has been out since the Barcelona Open in April, having suffered a wrist injury at the Spanish clay court tournament.

The world No 3 played the US Open mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams at Flushing Meadows, which left more questions than answers for Alcaraz.

The Spaniard did not look at his best during his matches and his serve in particular looks like a shadow of its former self.

With just a few days to go until the main draw begins, Alcaraz has been practicing alongside some big hitters on the ATP Tour to get up to shape.

He trained alongside Cincinnati Open champion Arthur Fils in New York, as well as another rising star on the ATP Tour.

Daniel Merida had the honour of playing with Alcaraz in his first practice session at the US Open, to put him through his paces for his US Open mixed doubles stint with Serena Williams.

The rising Spaniard, who replaced Alcaraz in the Davis Cup, has now had his say on how the world No 3 performed at Flushing Meadows.

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Speaking to MARCA, Merida said: “Carlos is playing well, but after 4 months out, obviously it’s noticeable a bit. He plays at a very high level, once he gets his rhythm back, plays a few matches and overcomes any fear about his wrist, we’ll see him back at the level we’ve always seen.”

Merida has enjoyed an impressive rise on the ATP Tour of late, which includes achieving his career ranking high of world No 40 most recently.

The Spaniard reached the quarter finals of the Canadian Open prior to the US Open, defeating the likes of Tallon Griekspoor, Alex Michelsen, and Ugo Humbert en route.

He also claimed an ATP 250 title in Umag on the clay directly following Wimbledon, so he’s starting to show he has real promise at the top of the sport.

Merida has more than earned the right to train with Alcaraz ahead of the US Open and he’s no doubt done an excellent job of getting the Spaniard up to speed ahead of his first singles tournament back.

Alcaraz and Merida will find out their first round opponents at the US Open when the main draw is made on Thursday, 27th August.

The main draw for the Grand Slam is set to begin on Sunday, 30th August and run for two weeks until the men’s final on Sunday, 13th August.