Carlos Alcaraz is strongly tipped to team up with Serena Williams in the US Open’s redesigned mixed doubles event.

The competition, which was transformed into a high-profile showcase in 2025, is set to feature pairings including Felix Auger-Aliassime with Alex Eala, and Novak Djokovic with Aryna Sabalenka. Alcaraz has been the subject of speculation for much of the summer, and the talk has grown louder since the Spaniard confirmed he would take part.

That expectation has been reinforced by several respected tennis journalists, among them Ben Rothenberg and Jon Wertheim, who have indicated that Alcaraz and Williams will be partners at Flushing Meadows.

The world No 3 has not built much of a doubles résumé. Since making his ATP Tour debut in 2018, he holds a 9-6 record in the format and has yet to win a doubles title.

Most of his doubles appearances have come in Laver Cup competition, where he has represented Team Europe over the past two seasons. At the 2025 event, he partnered with Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud in winning efforts. In 2024, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev lost to Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

He has also appeared in Davis Cup doubles for Spain. In 2024, he played with Marcel Granollers in ties against the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

One of the most notable partnerships of his career came at the Paris Olympics in 2024, when he joined Rafael Nadal for the King of Clay’s final Olympic appearance. The Spanish duo won two matches to reach the quarter finals before losing to American pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Alcaraz’s only previous mixed doubles outing came at the 2023 Hopman Cup, where he played with Rebeka Masarova in two defeats. Against them were Belgium’s Elise Mertens and David Goffin, and Croatia’s Donna Vekic and Borna Coric.

With Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, the attention around Alcaraz’s mixed doubles campaign will only increase as the event unfolds.

Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed his comeback will come at the US Open, ending a five-month spell away from the ATP Tour. The Spaniard’s season has been disrupted by a wrist injury, which ruled him out of several Masters events, along with Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Now, Alcaraz is aiming to leave the injury problems behind and re-establish his rhythm at Flushing Meadows, where the final Grand Slam of the year will provide his first competitive test after the layoff.

His return, though, is not a solitary one. Alcaraz has already laid out a demanding run of tournaments and exhibitions for the months that follow, underlining just how full his calendar will be once he is back in action.

Twelve days after the US Open final, he is due to appear at the Laver Cup, where he will represent Team Europe in an attempt to reclaim the title from Team World. His line-up there includes Flavio Cobolli, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Rafael Jodar, and Jakub Mensik, with Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien, Alex de Minaur, and Tommy Paul named on the other side at The O2 Arena in London.

The world No 3 is also entered for the Japan Open in Tokyo, where he will defend his title, before moving on to the Shanghai Masters and the Paris Masters, two events he has yet to win. Beyond that, he is confirmed for the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia and the Sao Paulo Super Match in Brazil.

The Six Kings Slam will feature Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Zverev, Fritz, and de Minaur competing for $6 million. In Brazil, he will face Joao Fonseca in an exhibition match after the season ends.

Alcaraz is also all-but-confirmed for the ATP Finals, another tournament still missing from his list of titles. After his longest absence from tennis, the Spaniard has a crowded road ahead.

Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal has altered the picture for the 2026 US Open men’s draw, where the seeding order will be finalized before the New York major begins.

Main draw singles play at Flushing Meadows starts on 30 August, with 128 players in the men’s field and 32 seeds. The key cutoff for seeding is Monday 24 August, the final ATP Rankings update before the event. Ranking points from the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 tournament are the last ones that will count toward the US Open seedings.

Six men have withdrawn from the tournament, and Sinner plus Alejandro Davidovich Fokina are the two who would have been seeded. Sinner, the world No 1, has pulled out because of a right knee injury. His most recent match was his Wimbledon final win.

Without Sinner, Alexander Zverev is projected to move from third to second in the ATP Rankings on Monday, which would make him the top seed in New York. Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed his US Open entry after more than four months away with a right wrist injury. He is currently No 2, but he will fall to third when points from his 2025 Cincinnati Open title come off next week.

Felix Auger-Aliassime is projected as the No 3 seed, with Novak Djokovic set to be seeded fourth. Flavio Cobolli is currently projected at No 5 and could overtake Djokovic by reaching the Cincinnati final. Taylor Fritz, 10th in the Live ATP Rankings, also has a path to move ahead of Djokovic’s points total if he reaches the title match in Cincinnati.

Projected 2026 US Open ATP seedings based on ATP Live Rankings place Zverev, Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic at the top, followed by Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton and Fritz.