In the upcoming week, Serena Williams is set to partner with Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed doubles event at the US Open.
The winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles launched her tennis comeback this past June, following a four-year absence after she decided to “evolve away” from competitive play.
Since launching her comeback, she has participated in three doubles fixtures and marked her singles return at Wimbledon, where she was defeated in a three-set match by Maya Joint.
Nevertheless, Serena is not scheduled to play singles in New York, given that the last remaining wildcard spot went to fellow American Sofia Kenin.
This Monday at the Cincinnati Open, Serena suffered a doubles defeat alongside her older sister Venus, marking her first competitive action since sustaining a knee injury during Wimbledon.
Alcaraz, a seven-time major champion, is preparing to make his first competitive appearance in more than four months after recovering from a wrist issue.
With a collective total of 44 singles and doubles Grand Slam titles between them, the duo has secured a wildcard entry directly into the tournament’s main draw.
Last year, the mixed doubles at the US Open underwent a debated restructuring designed to bring in prominent singles players and boost the category’s profile.
Direct qualification for the main draw has been granted to the top six pairings determined by combined singles rankings, while eight additional duos have been handed wildcards.
As the reigning titleholders, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori represent the sole pairing of doubles specialists to be awarded a wildcard for the main draw.
All remaining competitors—such as British number one Henry Patten playing with top-tier women’s star Katerina Siniakova—must successfully navigate an eight-team qualification bracket.
Scheduled to run from August 24 to 26, the event will conclude four days prior to the start of the singles tournament.
Additional prominent combinations feature world number one Aryna Sabalenka alongside 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, the American duo of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, as well as six-time major champion Iga Swiatek playing with Casper Ruud.
Representing Ukraine, Elina Svitolina is teaming up with her spouse Gael Monfils, in what will be the French player’s ultimate Grand Slam appearance prior to stepping away from the game.
The event was redesigned last season to accommodate more entries from singles competitors, a policy shift that drew disapproval from several doubles-only athletes.
An expedited scoring model was implemented, requiring just four games to secure a set in pre-final matches, eliminating ‘advantage’ scoring, and utilizing a 10-point tie-break in place of a deciding third set.
Adjustments were also made to compress the entire tournament schedule into a two-day window in the week leading up to the main draw.
The Italian duo of Errani and Vavassori, who were the sole doubles-dedicated pair selected to participate last year, released a collaborative statement calling the adjustment “profoundly wrong.”
Nonetheless, they went on to claim the championship—along with a $1 million (£740,000) prize purse—and remarked post-victory that their “mission was complete.”
