Serena Williams to partner Carlos Alcaraz in US Open mixed doubles, skips singles
Serena Williams will return to the US Open in mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz after receiving a wild card, while she will not compete in the singles draw.
The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz have been granted a wild card to compete in the mixed doubles event at the US Open, which begins on Tuesday. The pair will contend for a $1 million prize pool.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is making her first US Open appearance since 2022 but will not enter the singles competition. The tournament’s sole women's singles wild card was awarded to Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
Alcaraz, who is set to defend his US Open men’s title after recovering from a wrist injury, posted on X, "Let's gooooo!" and tagged Williams.
Williams suffered a knee injury in her first-round loss at Wimbledon and has recently played doubles with her sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open. The mixed doubles field was expanded last year to a two-day, 16-team format to attract top singles players.
Other notable pairings include Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, who will team up after their original partners withdrew, and the defending mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. The full draw features players such as Iga Swiatek, Casper Ruud, Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic and others.