USTA confirms Williams and Alcaraz wildcard for US Open mixed doubles

The US Tennis Association has confirmed that 44-year-old Serena Williams will partner with world number two Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open mixed doubles draw. The pairing was announced on Saturday, with the duo receiving one of the final three wildcard entries into the main draw. This administrative decision marks Williams’ return to the tournament for the first time since 2022.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and six-time US Open singles winner, previously captured the 1998 US Open mixed doubles title with Max Mirnyi. Her partner, Alcaraz, is a seven-time Slam singles winner and the current world number two. The Spanish player is returning to competition after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury.

The wildcard allocation also included Czech pair Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, and American pair Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul. Following withdrawals from Britain’s Jack Draper and Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, their former partners, Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, were re-paired and granted direct entry into the main draw.

Diana Shnaider, who was left without a partner after Daniil Medvedev’s withdrawal, has the opportunity to find a new partner before the draw is finalised on Sunday. This occurs ahead of the start of qualifying on Monday.

Mixed doubles play is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at the National Tennis Center and will conclude on Wednesday. The regular US Open singles competition is set to commence on 30 August.

Williams recently played women’s doubles with her sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open for the first time since 2022, where the pair lost in the first round. While her mixed doubles participation is confirmed, the USTA is holding one women’s wild card for her, leaving her potential involvement in the singles draw undecided.