Greg Rusedski has admitted Carlos Alcaraz has repeatedly made him and others “eat their own words” following his successful injury comeback.
After completing the career Grand Slam in Australia, becoming the youngest ever to achieve the feat at 22, Alcaraz suffered a wrist injury that kept him out for more than four months.
The Spaniard, who was unable to defend his French Open title and his runner-up prize at Wimbledon, returned to action at the US Open, despite many, including Rusedski, arguing it was a risk to jump into the deep end with best-of-five-set tennis.
The 23-year-old lost to Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals but has since won the ATP 500 events in Tokyo and Vienna, as he seeks to end the season on a high.
Ahead of this week’s Paris Masters, former US Open finalist Rusedski has nothing but praise for the seven-time major winner, who brushed aside Alex De Minaur in the Vienna Open final for the loss of just five games.
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The former world No 4 said Alcaraz “shocked” everyone when he returned at the US Open, and he continues to amaze with every week that passes.
He said on Off Court with Greg Rusedski, “The guy’s been out for four and a half months with a wrist injury. He started the year on fire, winning the Australian Open, 16 match wins in a row. And then, leading into the French [Open], unfortunately, the injury arose.
“He came back at the US Open, which shocked all of us. It’s like, how do you start back in a major? We all had to eat our words because we didn’t think it was going to happen, and he’s starting to get back to his best form again.
“And the way he dismantled De Minaur was so impressive because De Minaur had such a battle to beat the guy who’s number one at the end of the world, Sasha Zverev, in the semifinals. So Carlos looks like he’s getting back and he’s making a push to finish this season as strong as possible.”
World No 3 Alcaraz may have his sights firmly set on winning the Paris Masters for the first time and then backing that up in Turin with a maiden ATP Finals victory.
The Masters 1000 event in Paris has often been a struggle for the former world No 1, but he may be determined to right those wrongs this week in the French capital.
