Just when tennis fans thought Carlos Alcaraz confirming his participation in the US Open was the biggest news of the day, Serena Williams intensified the excitement with a cheeky comment.

“Ohhhhh ok. I like seeing this,” commented Williams on Alcaraz’s Instagram post, which heightened the speculation about whether the two fan favorites would team up for the high-profile mixed doubles events.

The Spaniard shared a video to officially announce his comeback at the New York Major in the sleeveless Nike kit for New York, and said, “We’re back, Here we Go.”

There is some basis to the rumors, as Williams had previously commented on an Alcaraz post when the Spaniard was sharing his training and recovery updates on social media during his injury layoff, hinting at a possible partnership.

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However, when Alcaraz missed his expected Cincinnati Open return, there were doubts about his participation in New York. With the new announcement, the possibility of him and Williams pairing up in mixed doubles increases. There are still three main draw wildcards to be given out for the competition, and the duo of Alcaraz and Williams fits the type of teams the revamped competition has targeted.

The potential addition of Alcaraz and Williams to the mixed doubles draw would increase its glamour, with the likes of Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka teaming up for the event. Since she made her comeback in June on the grass, the whole tennis community has been waiting for Williams to make her return to her home tournament. Pairing up with Alcaraz would make the homecoming even sweeter for the 23-time Major champion.

Should Alcaraz be at the mixed doubles, playing a best-of-three sets with a shortened format could help the Spaniard ease into the five-set format in singles.

Carlos Alcaraz Will Face a Tough Challenge During His Title Defense In New York

Rather than any specific opponent in New York, the biggest challenge for Alcaraz would be to make his comeback after more than four months in the best-of-five-set format. The Spaniard last played in Barcelona in April, and scored a straight-set win, and had last played five-set matches when he won the Australian Open.

Alcaraz took a cautious approach to his recovery, withdrawing from the French Open and Wimbledon well ahead of time for fear of aggravating the injury. Wrist injuries have a poor history in tennis, with the likes of Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro suffering severely from similar injuries.

Therefore, exposing the wrist directly in a five-set competition shows that Alcaraz is confident in his recovery. Despite missing so much tennis, the Spaniard is still No.2 on the rankings, but will have 2000 points to defend in New York. His close rival, Jannik Sinner, is already about 5000 points ahead of him, and should Alcaraz make an early exit in New York, it will be difficult for the Spaniard to catch the Italian anytime soon.

Before his injury, Alcaraz was in splendid form this season, winning 22 of his 25 matches, which included a maiden title in Melbourne and a title in Doha. He also had a runner-up finish in Monte-Carlo, and it remains to be seen whether the Spaniard can pick up his form from where he left off.