What's happened
Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams will form a high-profile mixed doubles team at the 2026 U.S. Open, following Alcaraz's return from a wrist injury and Williams's return to top-level play after a hiatus. The pairing joins a star-studded field that includes Aryna Sabalenka with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek with Casper Ruud. The event runs Aug. 24–26 for mixed doubles, with the rest of the tournament starting Aug. 30.
What's behind the headline?
Markdown analysis
- What’s driving the story: A confluence of two megastars returning to the court and choosing to team up at a major. This elevates the U.S. Open’s profile and could influence doubles dynamics for the year.
- Potential implications: A Williams–Alcaraz pairing could reshape audience expectations, attract broader media attention, and put pressure on rivals in both the mixed doubles and singles events.
- Reader takeaway: Expect headlines around wrist management, form after injuries, and the marketability of tennis superstars pairing across formats.
- Forecast: The pairing will be a focal point in lead-up coverage; performance will hinge on Alcaraz’s wrist health and Williams’s ability to adapt to mixed doubles strategy.
How we got here
Alcaraz has confirmed a comeback after a four-month layoff due to a wrist condition, while Williams is returning to competition after a four-year absence and played doubles with her sister Venus at Cincinnati. The U.S. Open will feature several high-profile partnerships and marks a moment of star power for the tournament.
Our analysis
Independent (Aug 22, 2026) reports the wildcard entry and the pairing; New York Times Business (Aug 22, 2026) provides context on the star power and historical performance; the Independent’s second piece notes Williams’s Cincinnati doubles with Venus and Alcaraz’s injury history.
Go deeper
- Will Williams play singles as well as doubles at the Open?
- How will this pairing influence the rest of the draw in mixed doubles?
- What other high-profile pairings are you watching at the Open?
More on these topics
-
Casper Ruud - Norwegian tennis player
Casper Ruud is a Norwegian professional tennis player from Snarøya in Bærum. He is the first Norwegian ever to win an ATP title and to make it into the semifinals of an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event.
-
Novak Djokovic - Serbian tennis player
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
-
Aryna Sabalenka - Belarusian tennis player
Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA and is a former No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won 24 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including four..
-
Carlos Alcaraz - Spanish tennis player
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is a Spanish professional tennis player. Alcaraz has a career high ATP singles ranking of World No. 75 achieved on 21 June 2021.
-
Serena Williams - American tennis player
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and former world No. 1 in women's single tennis. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time behind Margaret Court.
-
Jessica Pegula - US American tennis player
Jessica Pegula (born February 24, 1994) is an American professional tennis player. She has career-high rankings in singles of world No. 3, achieved in October 2022, and in doubles of world No. 1, achieved in September 2023. Pegula has won 11 singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including four WTA 1000 titles in singles and two in doubles. She was the runner-up at the 2024 US Open and at the 2023 WTA Finals. In doubles, she was runner-up at the 2022 French Open, partnering with Coco Gauff, and in the mixed doubles of the 2023 US Open, with Austin Krajicek. She is a three-time major singles semifinalist (twice at the US Open, once at the Australian Open) and has reached ten quarterfinals across all four major tournaments. Pegula also led the US team to victory in the inaugural 2023 United Cup and to the final of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup.
-
Emma Raducanu - British tennis player
Emma Raducanu is a British tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 333, achieved on 9 March 2020. So far, she has won three singles titles on the ITF Circuit.
-
Venus Williams - American tennis player
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player. A former world No. 1, Williams is generally regarded as one of the all-time greats of women's tennis and, along with younger sister Serena Williams, is credited with ushering in a new e
-
Jannik Sinner - Italian tennis player
Jannik Sinner is an Italian tennis player. Sinner has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 68, achieved in February 2020. His career-high doubles ranking is No. 380, achieved in March 2020. He is the first male player born in 2001 to reach a Gra
-
Taylor Fritz - American tennis player
Taylor Harry Fritz is an American professional tennis player. He reached an ATP final in his third career event, the 2016 Memphis Open. Only one other American has reached an ATP final in fewer career events.
-
Elena Rybakina - Russian-Kazakhstani tennis player
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of No. 17 by the Women's Tennis Association.