Carlos Alcaraz will return to competitive tennis at the US Open by pairing with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the tournament’s mixed doubles draw, according to an official tournament announcement made on Saturday. The pairing brings together two of the sport’s most prominent figures for a special event held ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year in New York.
The US Open confirmed the wild card entry under the banner “Two champions, one team.” Social media interactions between Alcaraz and Williams in the days prior hinted at the partnership. Williams replied to Alcaraz’s return announcement by writing that fans were “not prepared,” to which Alcaraz responded with eyes and hourglass emojis before the tournament finalized the pairing.
US Open Mixed Doubles Format and Field
The mixed doubles tournament at the US Open features a 16-team draw designed to showcase top singles and doubles stars during the week preceding the main singles competition. According to tournament organizers, the winning pair will collect a one-million-dollar prize after navigating four rounds of play, spanning from the round of 16 to the final.
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Matches in the event are contested at the best of three sets, with each set played to four games without advantages and decided by a supertie-break in place of a full third set. In addition to Alcaraz and Williams, the US Open awarded wild cards to several other notable pairings:
- Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula
- Tommy Paul and Emma Navarro
- Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova
- Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka
- Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek
Serena Williams’ Recent Schedule and Alcaraz’s Recovery
Serena Williams stepped away from professional tennis following the 2022 US Open but returned to competition earlier this year. According to tournament records, she played doubles at Queen’s Club and Berlin before accepting a wild card into the singles draw at Wimbledon, where she lost in the first round to Australian player Maya Joint on June 30. Her most recent appearance prior to the US Open mixed doubles announcement came in the Cincinnati doubles tournament alongside her sister, Venus Williams.
For Alcaraz, the mixed doubles appearance serves as an introductory step in his return from a wrist injury. The Spanish player has been sidelined for four and a half months due to an injury to his right wrist suffered on April 14. Alcaraz arrives in New York ahead of the main US Open singles tournament, which runs from August 30 to September 13.
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