Carlos Alcaraz believes ‘it is possible’ to win US Open despite long injury layoff

Ther 23-year-old has not competed in singles since April

Defending champion faces Roman Safiullin in first round

Carlos Alcaraz believes he is capable of winning the US Open as he returns to professional tennis after a four-month injury layoff due to a right wrist injury.

Alcaraz, the defending champion in New York, will compete in singles for the first time since injuring his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April when he faces Roman Safiullin in the first round. “So, it is possible [to win],” Alcaraz said. “I think that many people have shown it. [Roger] Federer, [Rafa] Nadal, many people have shown that you can win a grand slam after having been injured for a long time or having had a very hard injury. So we’re going to try to tie ourselves to that belief that we can do it too.”