After months of speculation about a potential partnership, Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams have finally been confirmed as a mixed doubles team at the 2026 US Open. The tennis icons received a last-minute wildcard into the event, just days after Alcaraz announced his comeback in New York.
Alcaraz took to social media to react to the highly anticipated team-up.
Carlos Alcaraz Prepares for High-Profile Partnership with Serena Williams at US Open
Williams, who stepped away from competitive tennis after competing in singles and women’s doubles at the 2022 US Open, made her comeback during the grass-court season in June this year. She featured at three tournaments, including Wimbledon, where she was forced to withdraw from her doubles match alongside Venus Williams after suffering a knee injury during her singles defeat.
The American legend resumed her comeback at the Cincinnati Open this week, reuniting with Venus. However, the Williams sisters suffered a narrow defeat to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in a closely contested encounter.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz had been sidelined from the Tour since April due to a right wrist injury. The Spaniard announced on August 20, however, that he would return to action at the US Open, where he is the defending champion. He is expected to arrive in New York on Saturday.
Alcaraz’s announcement quickly caught Serena Williams’ attention, with the American legend responding to his post with an “I like seeing this” message.
The interaction sparked speculation that the pair could team up in mixed doubles in New York. Those rumors were confirmed on Saturday, August 22, when the US Open announced that Alcaraz and Williams had received a wildcard entry into the 16-team main draw.
Reacting to the development, Alcaraz wrote on X, “Let’s gooooo! @serenawilliams.”
Let’s gooooo! 🔥 @serenawilliams https://t.co/8XErZUMXdi
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) August 22, 2026
Other confirmed wildcards include the American pairings of Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula, Tommy Paul and Emma Navarro, and Peyton Stearns and Chris Harrison. Czech stars Jakub Menšík and Karolína Muchová have also accepted a wildcard, while Russians Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev will team up for the event.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are also part of the lineup, alongside two-time defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. The revamped format, introduced last year, features six direct entries and eight wildcard pairings. The remaining two spots will be determined through qualifying on August 24, while the 16-team main draw is scheduled to take place on August 25 and 26.
A unique scoring format has been introduced, with sets played to four games through the semifinals and no-ad scoring throughout. Instead of a traditional third set, matches will be decided by a 10-point match tiebreak.
The 2026 edition will mark Alcaraz’s second appearance in the mixed doubles event. He made his debut in the category in 2025, partnering 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. However, the pair suffered a first-round exit against Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper.
Meanwhile, Williams has competed in the US Open mixed doubles event just once, in 1998. She went on to win the title that year alongside Belarusian star Max Mirnyi.
