Serena Williams is returning to the US Open for the first time in four years, and she will do so alongside Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster mixed doubles pairing.
The US Tennis Association announced on Saturday that Williams and Alcaraz have been granted a wild card into the mixed doubles main draw. The competition begins on Tuesday, with the winning team dividing $1 million.
Williams, who has claimed 23 Grand Slam singles titles, has not played at the US Open since 2022. She returned to tennis earlier this summer.
Alcaraz expressed his excitement on social media, posting “Let’s gooooo!” on X along with a fire emoji and tagging Williams.
Williams is not expected to enter the singles draw in New York. The USTA had been holding a women’s wild card, presumably with Williams in mind, but it went to Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
At Wimbledon, Williams sustained a knee injury during a first round loss. She has since played doubles with her sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open, and the siblings could still choose to team up at the US Open.
Alcaraz confirmed this week that he will defend his US Open singles title, returning from a right wrist injury that has sidelined him since April.
Williams’s mixed doubles history at the US Open includes a title in 1998 with Max Mirnyi, which came before any of her six singles championships at the tournament. Mirnyi now coaches Aryna Sabalenka, the current world number one.
The USTA redesigned the mixed doubles event last year, creating a two day, 16 team format aimed at attracting top singles players. Williams and Alcaraz bring headline appeal to that setup, with Alcaraz having won the US Open men’s title twice and currently ranked second globally.
Several other schedule updates were announced. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz will now pair up after their original partners, Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina, withdrew because of injuries. Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, as well as Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, received the remaining wild cards into the main draw. Diana Shnaider remains in the field and will have an opportunity to secure a new partner after Daniil Medvedev’s withdrawal.
The current mixed doubles lineup features Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Pegula and Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the winners of the last two editions, Alex Eala and Felix Auger Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, Williams and Alcaraz, Muchova and Mensik, and Navarro and Paul.
Two spots remain open, to be decided by an eight team qualifying tournament on Monday. The USTA gave qualifying wild cards to Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, and to Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison. The rest of the qualifying field consists mostly of doubles specialists who did not gain direct entry to the US Open last year, with selection based on combined singles rankings.
With a blend of experience and youthful power, Williams and Alcaraz give the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles event a marquee attraction when play begins Tuesday.
