Tennis legend Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will team up in mixed doubles at the 2026 US Open after receiving a wild-card entry. The United States Tennis Association announced this decision on Saturday. The pairing brings together the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and the seven-time major winner for the abbreviated mixed doubles championship, which runs from August 24 to 26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. The main draw begins Tuesday, with the final scheduled for Wednesday, four days before the singles competition starts.

It marks Williams’ first competitive appearance at the US Open since 2022. The American great returned to professional tennis earlier this summer after a four-year absence, competing in doubles and making a singles comeback at Wimbledon. She recently partnered her sister Venus in women’s doubles at the Cincinnati Open. Williams will not enter the women’s singles draw in New York; the final wild card for that event went to fellow American Sofia Kenin.

Carlos Alcaraz returns for US Open 2026

Alcaraz, who is the defending US Open men’s singles champion is preparing for his return after a right wrist injury that has kept him off the court since April. The Spaniard confirmed earlier this week that he would compete in singles and now adds the mixed doubles event as his first matches back. He reacted to the announcement on social media with an enthusiastic “Let’s gooooo!” while tagging Williams

The duo, who together hold dozens of Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles, join a high-profile field that also includes pairings such as Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, as well as other top singles players. The US Open has continued its recent format changes aimed at drawing bigger names and more attention to mixed doubles, which previously often played to less crowds.

Serena Williams brings mixed doubles experience, having won the 1998 US Open title with Max Mirnyi and reached other major finals in the discipline. For Alcaraz, it will be his second Grand Slam mixed doubles appearance. Fans and observers have already hailed the partnership as one of the most eye-catching of the year, combining generational star power on the same side of the net.