Serena Williams: Tennis icon to team up with Carlos Alcaraz for US Open mixed doubles tournament

Williams will ‌make a competitive return to the ‌US Open alongside defending ​men's champion Alcaraz after ‌the pair were handed a ​wild card entry.

It will be ​Williams' first ⁠competitive match ⁠at Flushing Meadows since 2022 when she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round .

The American 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and ‌six-time US Open winner - who returned to tennis this summer - won the mixed doubles title in 1998 with ⁠Max Mirnyi.

Williams, who played singles at Wimbledon and doubles with older sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open , won't be playing singles in New York, after USTA handed their final women's wild card to Sofia Kenin.

Jamie Murray, speaking on Sky Sports Tennis , said: "Serena obviously hasn't played a singles match since Wimbledon but I don't know if she feels physically ready to get back on the singles court and compete or maybe she doesn't feel she can do that altogether.

"She's going to play some doubles with her sister Venus and she's got a fun event in the mixed doubles. I personally expected to see her across the US Open Series after Wimbledon - to play more matches with a view to competing in New York but obviously that's not the case."

Alcaraz announced this week he would return to defend his singles title after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka ​will partner four-time US Open winner Novak Djokovic and Jessica ⁠Pegula will team up with fellow ⁠American Taylor Fritz following withdrawals by their previous teammates Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina, respectively.

The mixed doubles main draw begins Tuesday.

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic vs Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils vs Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime

Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli vs Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz vs Qualifier/Qualifier

Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova vs Qualifier/Qualifier

Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul vs Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien

Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev vs Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori

Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud vs Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz

Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten vs Tatjana Maria and Valentin Vacherot

Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison vs Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic

Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara vs Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo

Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool vs Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski

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