Carlos Alcaraz is getting closer and closer to a comeback to tennis as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.
Alcaraz last played on the ATP Tour at the Barcelona Open in mid-April, with injury ruling him out of the French Open and Wimbledon.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has been working very hard behind the scenes to get back to full fitness, with Alcaraz practising left-handed this time last month.
Since then, however, Alcaraz has been hitting balls with his right hand, which is very welcome news in the eyes of Patrick Mouratoglou.
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Carlos Alcaraz predicted to hit properly from the baseline in two weeks
Mouratoglou, who is a former coach of WTA legend Serena Williams, said on his Instagram: “Great to see Carlos back on a tennis court, as a righty.
“I think people don’t realize how long a process it is to come back from an injury. The positive thing for him, he could still use his legs, he could still run, he could still do a lot of fitness.
“Now, how far is Carlos from defending his title at the US Open? He’s very far, for sure. Can he do it? Yes, I think he can.
“Because he’s at a point now where things are going to accelerate. Now every day he will see some improvement.
“My prediction, I’m not a doctor, but I have a lot of experience with this. In two weeks, he can hit normal from the baseline.
“And I think he’s going to start serving a bit later, because the serve with the pronation is the most aggressive to the wrist. He needs his wrist to be strong.
‘What he has to do is give him the body that can deal with the type of forehand that he has, rather than changing the technique and affecting his whole game.
“I would never, ever ask him to change the technique at that stage of his career.”
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What Carlos Alcaraz’s absence means for the ATP Tour
Alcaraz’s lengthy absence is not just frustrating for the Spaniard, but undoubtedly also for many tennis fans.
He is truly a joy to watch when he plays tennis, with his charisma and elegance really missed right now, particularly at Wimbledon.
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At the same time, however, his absence will likely have delighted many of his rivals in the sense that it opens doors for new champions.
Alcaraz was winning regularly earlier in the season, but being away from the ATP Tour gives others a chance of success, for example Alexander Zverev at the French Open.
Whether or not the 23-year-old will return in time for the US Open remains to be seen, but it would be another blow for men’s tennis should the defending champion miss out.
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