After not playing at the French Open and Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz will finally be back in action at the US Open. But is he fit enough to play at the highest level once again? With his arch-rival, Jannik Sinner, out of the Grand Slam because of a right knee injury, there are doubts about the Spaniard’s condition as well heading in to Flushing Meadows. British sports broadcaster David Law believes that Alcaraz has rushed his return and should have targeted the Australian Open instead.

“I absolutely hope that it’s caution,” he said in an episode of The Tennis Podcast. “I’d be fascinated to know how close he (Alcaraz) was to playing those other major tournaments, because you know he would have been just straining at the leash to get on the court and get out there, and he must have missed it so much.”

“But I can’t help but worry about it because the temptation might have got too much for him. It might have been more sensible to target the Australian Open and work his way into that with the next two or three months.”

Alcaraz isn’t just confirmed to play the singles draw at the US Open, but he will also be participating in the mixed doubles event. He has formed a pair alongside Serena Williams, and they have received wildcards for the draw. It is quite an exciting pair indeed, and fans will want to watch them in action. Their first-round opponents for the event are yet to be decided.

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But while Alcaraz may be confirmed to play two events at the US Open, there aren’t just doubts around his fitness but also about his form. Having not made a competitive appearance since April due to the wrist injury he suffered at the Barcelona Open, he may need some time to settle, and thus, he may not be able to perform at his best in the US Open.

That being said, he is still ranked No. 3 in the world (as per live rankings) and can’t be underestimated by any means. Having lifted the US Open title last year, Alcaraz wouldn’t want to bow out in the early rounds, as that will result in him losing a massive number of points in the rankings.

The 23-year-old recently dropped down a place after Alexander Zverev took over the No. 2 spot. Alcaraz currently has 7.160 points under his name. A first-round exit at Flushing Meadows will see him lose 1990 points straight away, bringing down his points tally, leaving him just a few points ahead of World No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime.

It will also substantially increase the gap between him and Sinner at the top. If Alcaraz wants to have a shot at regaining the No. 1 ranking by the end of the year, then he will have to deliver a solid performance at the US Open. It remains to be seen whether he will manage to make a deep run in the tournament despite all the doubts surrounding his form and fitness.