Carlos Alcaraz is back, healthy and the US Open favorite once again

Even the best players in the world get nervous, especially when returning from a serious injury and uncertain how their bodies will respond.

That was the case for defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz advanced through his first two matches of the tournament. He coasted past Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, but dropped the opening set and needed four sets against Jaime Faria. A third-round matchup against Yibing Wu awaits.

The 23-year-old Spaniard says the training, recovery, and nutrition gave him the confidence to succeed whenever he was cleared to step out on the court after his right wrist injury, which kept him out for more than four months.

"Obviously, I needed my doctors and my team to tell me that everything was OK, but I also needed to feel it myself. We increased the intensity little by little, and I started doing longer and harder practices to see how the wrist reacted," Alcaraz told USA TODAY Sports. "There is also a mental part. After an injury, you have to trust your body again and stop thinking about the injury every time you hit the ball."

Alcaraz returned last week to play mixed doubles with Serena Williams, making it…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/