Two generations of tennis royalty are joining forces in New York.
Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams received a wild card into the 2026 US Open mixed doubles championship, the tournament announced Saturday, creating the most compelling partnership in an already star-packed field.
“Let’s gooooo!” Alcaraz wrote on X, tagging Williams and adding a fire emoji.
The pairing gives Williams her first US Open appearance since her emotional farewell at Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2022. The 44-year-old returned to competition this summer and recently played doubles with her sister, Venus Williams, at the Cincinnati Open.
Williams is not expected to enter the US Open singles draw. The tournament awarded its remaining women’s singles wild card to 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, will use mixed doubles as his first competitive test after missing four months with a right wrist injury. The 23-year-old Spaniard has not played since April but plans to defend the men’s singles title he won last September.
When and Where Will Alcaraz, Serena Play?
GettyTennis legend Serena Williams takes her seat for the men’s singles final tennis match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on August 4, 2024.
The mixed doubles main draw begins Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
First-round and quarterfinal matches will be split between Louis Armstrong Stadium and Arthur Ashe Stadium. Play begins at 10 a.m. Eastern at Armstrong and 11 a.m. at Ashe.
The semifinals and championship match will be held Wednesday, Aug. 26, beginning at 7 p.m. inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. The winning team will share a $1 million prize.
Qualifying starts Monday at 11 a.m. on Grandstand, with eight teams competing for the final two main-draw positions.
Matches through the semifinals will feature abbreviated sets played to four games, no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a third set. The final will use conventional six-game sets but retain no-ad scoring and the deciding match tiebreak.
Williams already owns a US Open mixed doubles championship, winning the 1998 title with Max Mirnyi before capturing the first of her six singles crowns in New York.
US Open Mixed Doubles Field Gets Major Update
Alcaraz and Williams join a 16-team main draw loaded with Grand Slam champions and current singles stars.
Aryna Sabalenka will partner Novak Djokovic, while returning finalists Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud are together again. Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori received a wild card.
Other confirmed teams include Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, and married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz reunited after their original partners, Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina, withdrew with injuries. Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, along with Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, received the other final main-draw wild cards.
Diana Shnaider retained a direct-entry position but must select a new partner after Daniil Medvedev withdrew.
The partnership to watch, however, will be the one nobody could have imagined when Williams left Ashe Stadium four years ago.
Alcaraz brings explosive movement, improvisation and the confidence of the reigning champion. Williams brings 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one of the greatest serves in tennis history and an unmatched understanding of the New York stage.
For at least one night, the future and the past will stand on the same side of the net.
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