Serena Williams is set to join forces with Carlos Alcaraz in an exciting mixed doubles partnership for her return to the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
The U.S. Tennis Association recently announced that Williams and Alcaraz received a wild card entry into the mixed doubles main draw, which kicks off on Tuesday with a prize of $1 million US for the winning pair.
This marks Williams’ first appearance at the U.S. Open since 2022, following her comeback to professional tennis earlier this summer.
Alcaraz expressed his enthusiasm for the pairing by posting “Let’s gooooo!” along with a fire emoji while tagging Williams on social media.
While Williams will not be competing in singles at the tournament, the USTA had reserved a wild card spot for her, which was ultimately awarded to Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
After sustaining a knee injury at Wimbledon, Williams played doubles with her sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open. They may still decide to compete together in the doubles event at the U.S. Open.
In related news, Alcaraz confirmed his return to defend his U.S. Open singles title after recovering from a right wrist injury that had sidelined him since April.
Williams previously won a mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open in 1998 alongside Max Mirnyi. The mixed doubles format has evolved since then, with the USTA restructuring it into a two-day, 16-team event to attract top singles players.
Among the notable pairings in the tournament are Williams and Alcaraz, along with other dynamic teams like Pegula and Fritz, Navarro and Paul, and Muchova and Mensik.
The competition field also features a mix of established players and rising stars, including Sabalenka, Djokovic, Swiatek, Ruud, Bencic, Cobolli, Anisimova, Tien, Errani, Vavassori, Eala, Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez, Tiafoe, Townsend, Zverev, Svitolina, Monfils, and more.
Two additional spots in the tournament will be determined through an upcoming qualifying event, with wild cards granted to select teams to round out the competitive lineup.