Serena Williams is back in the tennis spotlight this summer, four years after her first goodbye. The American legend is taking a more relaxed approach to her second chapter, determined to have fun on the court rather than burden herself with expectations.
Reminding herself that she has nothing to lose and nothing left to prove, Williams returned to the court in June. She played doubles at the Queen’s Club and the Berlin Tennis Open, and at Wimbledon, she participated in singles. After finally reuniting with sister Venus Williams at the Cincinnati Open, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made a spectacular return to the US Open.
Serena Williams Faced a Repeat Opponent Alongside Carlos Alcaraz in US Open Mixed Doubles
Under the new format, the US Open mixed doubles event was held during Fan Week from August 24–26, ahead of the main draw, which runs from August 30 to September 13. Serena Williams accepted a last-minute wildcard to partner Carlos Alcaraz, who was making his return after suffering a right wrist injury in April.
The high-profile duo drew doubles specialists Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool as their first opponents. Incidentally, the match marked Routliffe and Williams’ third meeting in two months. The New Zealand star was Williams’ first opponent alongside Nicole Melichar-Martinez when the American made a winning comeback at the Queen’s Club Championships alongside Victoria Mboko.
In what appeared to be a bizarre coincidence, the two players once again found themselves on opposite sides of the net the following week at the Berlin WTA 500, this time with new partners. Routliffe sought revenge as she and Giuliana Olmos secured a straight-set victory against Williams and Karolína Muchová.
“I was kind of like, wow, I can’t believe it! To get another chance is exciting; we’re both with different partners. I’m sure she’ll remember me,” Routliffe said at the time.
In their third meeting in New York earlier this week, Williams teamed up with Alcaraz to defeat the doubles specialists. They lost their next match against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
“2026 bingo card just keeps getting better! What a time. Grateful to share the court with these icons in an incredible atmosphere. NYC, you never disappoint!” Routliffe wrote, reflecting on her and Glasspool’s match against the legendary duo. She also amusingly revealed on her Instagram story what Serena Williams said to her at the net.
“Laughing at Serena saying ‘see you next week in dubs’ because we’ve played each other so many times this year.”
View this post on Instagram
The Williams sisters have accepted a wildcard for the women’s doubles draw at the US Open. They will be aiming to win their 15th Grand Slam doubles title together and their third at Flushing Meadows.
Meanwhile, defending champion Erin Routliffe will look to retain her crown, having won the title alongside Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski in 2023 and 2025. This time, however, Routliffe will partner Indonesia’s Aldila Sutjiadi, while Dabrowski has teamed up with Brazil’s Luisa Stefani.
