A wild tennis pairing that fans couldn’t fathom when rumors began in June has actually come together for the US Open’s mixed doubles event. The US Tennis Association announced on Saturday that Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are officially teaming up and are one of the three remaining wildcards entering the competition from August 25-26.

While both have ample experience playing doubles, Williams has been much more active in the format than Alcaraz this season. Since making her four-year return to tennis this summer, Serena has only participated in one singles draw. In comparison, she has competed in three doubles draws so far, including with her sister, Venus Williams, at Cincinnati, albeit in a losing cause. The US Open, where she returns for the first time since 2022, will be her first time playing mixed doubles since her return.

On the other hand, Alcaraz had been out of action since April due to a wrist injury and didn’t participate in any doubles draws when he was fit either. Regardless, the pair is expected to cause a fan frenzy at Flushing Meadows, and tickets for their matches will likely sell out at a lightning-fast pace.

This will be Alcaraz’s second straight appearance in the US Open’s mixed doubles event. He teamed up with Emma Raducanu last year, but the duo got knocked out in the opening round by Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper.

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While Serena may not have played in the revamped version of the mixed doubles event, she did win the competition at just 16 years of age in 1998. She paired with Belarusian player Max Mirnyi, and they defeated Lisa Raymond and Patrick Galbraith 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Having won a combined total of 46 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles, they are the most successful pair participating in the tournament. Their team is a perfect mixture of the present and the past. While Alcaraz is arguably the most popular tennis player currently, Serena is regarded as one of the most successful female players to ever grace the sport.

But there are still concerns regarding their fitness as both are coming back from injury layoffs. This will be Alcaraz’s first competitive appearance since the Barcelona Open, the tournament where he sustained the wrist injury. The Spaniard was expected to return earlier during the North American swing, but he wasn’t able to regain his fitness in time, and his return was pushed even further. As he prepares to play his first match in a little over four months, there is no guarantee that he will be at his best from the get-go.

As for Serena, she picked up a knee injury during her singles clash against Maya Joint at Wimbledon. This setback forced her to pull out of the Grand Slam’s women’s doubles draw, where she was supposed to pair with her sister, Venus Williams. The two eventually did team up at the Cincinnati Masters, where Serena made her return after a month of absence. But they failed to get a positive result and suffered a 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 defeat to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

It will be interesting to see which pair Serena and Alcaraz will have to play in the opening round. The draw doesn’t lack star power by any means, and there are many feisty pairs that can be paired against them.

The US Open’s mixed doubles draw features several high-profile teams

The headlining pair of the draw is Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic. Fans have wanted to see them team up for years because they share a warm friendship off the court. This will be the first time that they will be teaming up in a doubles event.

Alongside these two pairs, the other 12 teams for the event have also been announced. The direct entrants include Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, and Diana Shnaider’s partner will be decided again, as Daniil Medvedev recently pulled out of the event.

The wildcards have been handed to defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova, and Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul.

The final two pairs of the draw will be decided through a one-day qualifying event on August 24. A total of eight teams will battle it out for the final two places in the competition.