Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz Receive US Open Mixed Doubles Wildcard

Tennis legends Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz received a main-draw wildcard for the 2026 US Open mixed doubles competition, organizers announced ahead of the event scheduled for August 25 to 26 in New York City.

The marquee pairing marks Williams' first appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2022 following her return to competitive tennis in June. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is not playing in the singles draw after Sofia Kenin received the final wildcard.

For Alcaraz, the tournament provides his first competitive action in four months after suffering a right wrist injury in April. The seven-time major winner plans to use the event as preparation before defending his US Open singles title.

The duo commented on their social media announcement regarding the partnership.

"Let's gooooo!" said Carlos Alcaraz, Tennis Player.

The competition, revamped last year to features abbreviated sets and no-advantage scoring, features a 16-team main draw and a $1 million prize for the winning pair. The draw also includes star teams like Aryna Sabalenka with Novak Djokovic, and Iga Swiatek with Casper Ruud.

Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who criticized the new format last year, earned the only wildcard reserved for doubles specialists. Meanwhile, top-ranked doubles player Katerina Siniakova and partner Henry Patten must clear the eight-team qualifying round beginning August 24.

Mixed doubles main-draw matches start Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time at Louis Armstrong Stadium and 11 a.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium, concluding with the semifinals and final on Wednesday evening.