Carlos Alcaraz, Serena Williams Teaming Up at U.S. Open Is a Must-See Tennis Spectacle

Carlos Alcaraz will return to the court at the U.S. Open after a four-month absence due to a wrist injury. The current ATP world No. 2 will get to defend his title after he missed the entirety of grass-court season and most of the North American hard-court swing.

In addition to Alcaraz’s highly anticipated return, the Spaniard will team up with all-time great Serena Williams in the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship. Alcaraz and Williams are the latest of star-studded duos to enter the event, which already includes pairings of Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula and Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexandra Eala.

The mixed doubles championship will take place ahead of the men’s and women’s singles main draws. It’s Williams’s first appearance in the U.S. Open since 2022 after her return to tennis this summer. A singles appearance for Williams looks unlikely after Sofia Kenin was given the eighth wild card. However, Venus Williams did receive a wild card into the women’s singles main draw.

The final major of the year reimagined its mixed doubles event last year, moving it to the first week of the three-week tournament (before the main singles draws). That paved the way for big names to enter and compete for a handsome cash prize. Italian doubles pair Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the event last year as they took down Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud in a 10-point tiebreak for the third set and the title, which netted a $1 million prize. Errani and Vavassori will be back to try to three-peat in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open and go for their fifth major together.

Alcaraz played in the U.S. Open’s reimagined mixed doubles championship last year with Emma Raducanu. The pair lost to Pegula and Jack Draper in the first round.

The official entry into this year’s draw with Williams puts two of the sport’s most decorated players on the same side of the net in an event that only continues to get better. Alcaraz already has seven majors at 23 years old, while Williams has the most major singles titles in the Open Era on the women’s side with 23.

In Alcaraz’s first time back on the court in over four months, he’ll play alongside the greatest of all time in her return year to tennis in a team of two former world No. 1s. Must-see TV.

The duo doesn’t outweigh another missed opportunity for a Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner match, but it’s a nice consolation

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcara — Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in last year’s U.S. Open final | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, this year has brought a long drought in the rivalry between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which will continue in the U.S. Open. Sinner, the current world No. 1, withdrew from the U.S. Open on Friday due to a right knee injury. He pulled out of the Canadian Open in Montreal and the ongoing Cincinnati Open in the lead up to the U.S. Open.

“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the U.S. Open this year,” Sinner wrote on Instagram Friday. “We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

Although friendly, Sinner and Alcaraz have emerged as tennis’s premier rivalry over recent years as the two continuously battle for the world No. 1 spot. They have played just once this year, which came in the Monte-Carlo Masters final back in April, just ahead of Alcaraz’s prolonged absence. Sinner won that match in straight sets as he dominated ATP Masters 1000s with titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

Sinner was upset in the second round of Roland Garros—where Alcaraz wasn’t able to participate—but successfully defended his title at Wimbledon for his sole major of 2026 and the fifth of his career. Last year, Alcaraz and Sinner met in the final for three of the year’s four majors, highlighted by the Spaniard’s remarkable comeback win at Roland Garros in a five-hour, 53-minute marathon match.

The two top players won’t meet in a major this year with Sinner’s absence at the U.S. Open. Tennis’s best rivalry is in a lull due to unfortunate injuries on both sides, but the mixed doubles pairing of Alcaraz and Williams helps soften the blow. At least a little bit.

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