New York, 23 August – Tennis legends Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will team up for the US Open mixed doubles tournament, which begins on Monday as part of a revamped event featuring some of the sport’s biggest singles stars.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned to tennis in June after four years away from the sport. She has since played three doubles matches and made her singles comeback at Wimbledon, where she lost to Maya Joint in three sets.
The American will not compete in the US Open singles draw after the final wildcard was awarded to Sofia Kenin.
Williams most recently played doubles with her older sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open, where the pair lost on Monday. It was Serena’s first match since she suffered a knee injury at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz, a seven-time major champion, is also preparing to return to competitive tennis after more than four months out with a wrist injury.
The pair, who have won a combined 44 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles, received a wildcard into the US Open mixed doubles main draw.
The tournament has been significantly revamped, with singles stars encouraged to participate in an effort to increase interest in mixed doubles. The competition will be held from 24 to 26 August, four days before the US Open singles draw begins.
Other high-profile partnerships include world number one Aryna Sabalenka with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula with Taylor Fritz, and six-time major winner Iga Swiatek with Casper Ruud.
Britain’s Henry Patten will partner women’s world number one Katerina Siniakova, although they must first come through an eight-team qualifying round.
Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori are the only doubles-specialist pairing to receive a main-draw wildcard.
The revamped format also features shorter matches, with sets won by the first player or pair to reach four games, no-ad scoring and 10-point match tie-breaks replacing a deciding third set.
Williams and Alcaraz’s partnership is expected to attract huge attention, but the pairing could also offer both players valuable competitive preparation after their respective injury absences.
For Williams, the event provides another opportunity to enjoy her return to tennis, while Alcaraz can use the matches to regain rhythm and assess his fitness ahead of the US Open singles tournament.
The mixed doubles event therefore combines entertainment and serious competition, with two of tennis’s biggest stars sharing the court in one of the most anticipated partnerships of the tournament.
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