Carlos Alcaraz has put his injury issues behind him by winning his first three matches at the US Open this year.
The Spaniard had not played since April before the US Open, but he has breezed through matches against Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, and Wu Yibing.
The star is set for his biggest challenge yet in the fourth round, where he will play Tommy Paul, and he is now the overwhelming favourite to win the Grand Slam.
However, there was a point where many of his rivals were not convinced he would play the tournament, even after he made his debut in the mixed doubles alongside Serena Williams.
Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, Marion Bartoli confirmed the talk that was happening after Alcaraz and Williams were beaten in the mixed doubles.
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“When he played the mixed doubles with Serena, and they lost the second match, the rumours going around with different coaches was that he was not going to take to the court in singles,” said the Frenchwoman.
“That was the rumour going into the players’ area. But he is through the first week and breezing through it. He has done the job perfectly. He has been on point with the mentality as well. He was fist-pumping a lot, having a lot of energy. You can see it is a joy to be out there.”
Alcaraz has dropped just one set in his first three matches and, outside of a weaker serve, he has looked like a player who could win a Grand Slam.
The Spaniard has stayed steady while several of his ATP Tour rivals have fallen in the early stages.
While Alcaraz has comfortably made his way into the fourth round, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, and Arthur Fils have all been beaten in the opening week.
Alexander Zverev, who is the top seed at the event, has also struggled in his opening matches. He’s needed five sets to defeat both Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys and he has been forced to play into the early hours of the morning in both of his matches.
The Spaniard could be set for very tough matches in this next week, against the likes of Paul, Ben Shelton, and Frances Tiafoe, but the opening week of the US Open could arguably have not gone better for Alcaraz.
Alcaraz’s match against Paul is set for Sunday, 6th September, with the order of play yet to be confirmed, although it will very likely be on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
