Serena Williams will make her competitive return to the US Open alongside Carlos Alcaraz after the blockbuster pairing were given a wildcard into the mixed doubles.
Williams made her return to top-level tennis earlier this year nearly four years after “evolving away” from the sport, though her Wimbledon comeback was curtailed by an injury suffered in a first-round singles defeat.
The 44-year-old is yet to reveal if she will compete in the singles at Flushing Meadows but will be part of the mixed doubles event that precedes the main draws in New York.
23-time grand slam singles champion Williams will partner up with Alcaraz, himself back in action after an injury that has sidelined the Spaniard for four months.
The duo join a star-studded field including eye-catching partnerships like Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, beaten finalists last year. The tournament begins with mixed doubles qualifying on Monday 24 August.
Williams has history in the format, winning the 1998 US Open alongside Max Mirnyi. She teamed up with Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2019, reaching the third round.
She and sister Venus suffered a narrow defeat as they reunited in the women’s doubles at the Cincinnati Open this week.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, will be a strong favourite to secure an eighth grand slam title after the injury-enforced withdrawal of great rival Jannik Sinner from the men’s field.
The 23-year-old Spaniard partnered Emma Raducanu in New York last year, suffering a first-round exit to Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula.
