Official: Carlos Alcaraz’s first match will be with Serena Williams at the US Open
It was an aspiration of the US Open 2026 and the world of tennis. A project that will come true. It’s official: the Spanish Carlos Alcardaz and the American Serena Williams They will play the mixed doubles in the last Grand Slam of the season. Tuesday the 18th will be the Murcian’s first official match since his absence due to a wrist injury.
Carlos Alcaraz He has not competed since Tuesday, April 14, when he defeated the Finn Otto Virtanen at its premiere at the Conde de Godó Trophy. He felt discomfort in his wrist that triggered a series of medical tests that determined a delicate injury to the joint, which has kept him out of the circuit for four months.
On the way to New York, the tournament made the most anticipated duo official. The current individual champion will match the historic Serena Williams 44 years old and an unconditional fan of the El Palmar phenomenon, who will not participate in the individual draw, from which he has remained absent since 2022. Since then he has only played this season at Wimbledon. The rest, in doubles.
The US Open mixed doubles moves away from the format of the rest of the Grand Slam tournaments. It brings together sixteen binominos on Tuesday (eighth and quarterfinals) and Wednesday (semifinals and final), before opening the individual competition starting on Sunday the 30th.
The organization had reserved a couple of invitations after giving out the list of participants. One was intended for “two champions, one team”, as the US Open announced to Alcaraz’s duo with Serena. The Italian cherry was missing Jannik Sinnerabsent due to not recovering from an injury to his right knee.
The Spaniard knows the event well, he premiered it in the previous edition together with the British Emma Raducanu. The matches are faster, there is a super tiebreak in the third set, there is no advantage when reaching the ‘deuce’.
Big names occupy the tournament poster. The other couple that will attract the most attention will be the one made up of the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenkadefender of the individual crown, and the Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams They had already toyed with the plan for their mixed double once the Murcian announced that he would be in the singles in New York, from August 30 to September 13. There was a wink through social networks.
“Ohhhh ok. I like to see this,” Serena Williams reacted with a heart to the message from the Murcian, who responded to the American with eyes and a time clock. With Carlos Alcaraz attentive and waiting.
The tournament has given eight ‘wild cards’ to ensure world figures from the individual to the mixed. Six other duos entered through world ranking and two more will do so this Monday the 24th, competing in the preliminary phase.
Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams join a list of registrants with Aryna Sabalenka-Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula-Taylor FritzIga Swiatek-Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic-Flavio Cobolli, Amanda Anisimova-Learner Tien, Diana Shnaider and a new partner to be decided after the loss of her Russian compatriot Daniil Medvedev who has signed up for the ATP 250 in Winston-Salem.
As ‘wild cards’, like them, the current champions, the Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez-Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend-Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina-Gael Monfils, Jakub Mensik-Karolina Muchova and Emma Navarro-Tommy Paul.
