Carlos Alcaraz’s return to tennis at the US Open has been sensational considering his four and a half month absence prior to the Grand Slam.

The Spaniard has dropped just one set in his first three matches at the US Open, against Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, and Wu Yibing, as he has looked to shrug off his lack of match fitness.

“To be honest, I’m better than I thought,” said Alcaraz after his victory against Wu Yibing, and he has certainly lived up to his favourite tag so far in New York.

However, John McEnroe has now doused the Spaniard’s comeback to the sport in worry with his latest comments about the world No 3.

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During ESPN’s coverage of the US Open, McEnroe said: “My great rival Björn Borg played his last match at 25. That’s the last thing we want for Carlos. It would be terrible if he couldn’t become the player he was before the injury.”

However, McEnroe has also predicted what the Spaniard could achieve if he does manage to stay fit for the rest of his career.

The multi-time Grand Slam champion said: “If he stays in good health, he could win at least ten more Grand Slam titles.”

Should Alcaraz live up to McEnroe’s prediction, he will end his career on 17 Grand Slam titles, which would be an astonishing feat.

That will put him above the likes of Roy Emerson, Pete Sampras, and McEnroe himself. In fact, the only players who would be above the star would be Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, which is an impressive list to be included on.

Alcaraz will be looking for his eighth Grand Slam title at this year’s US Open and he will next play Tommy Paul for a place in the quarter finals.

The Spaniard could have to play several Americans in the rest of the tournament, with Ben Shelton his most likely opponent in the last eight of the Grand Slam.

Frances Tiafoe could be awaiting him in the semi finals, while currently Alexander Zverev is currently the most likely opponent for him in the final.

While it will be incredibly impressive for Alcaraz to win the US Open, that is a list of players he will be confident he can defeat to win a Grand Slam.

Alcaraz has been increasingly buoyed by Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the competition, as well as Novak Djokovic’s first round US Open exit.

His match against Paul is set to take place on Sunday, 6th September, with the order of play yet to be confirmed by the Grand Slam.