Serena Williams is back at the US Open, and she’s joined by another sporting icon who’s also making a comeback: Carlos Alcaraz. The two will open the doubles tournament next Tuesday, facing Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. It marks a significant occasion. This year marks Williams’ comeback to the US Open, a tournament she hasn’t played in since 2022.
Williams and Alcaraz’ partnership is one of the most exciting partnerships and developments at the US Open. The news broke shortly after Alcaraz revealed he was returning for the tournament after a four-month absence due to a wrist injury.
Alcaraz and Williams have 46 Grand Slam combined titles in singles and doubles. Williams is known as the greatest female player of the modern era, having 23 Grand Slam titles and numerous Grand Slam doubles wins with her sister Venus.
The two are the most exciting team of the tournament in terms of star power, perhaps closely followed by Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka.
Williams made her professional comeback this year, four years after she retired. Her return has had a big focus on doubles, playing at the Queen’s Club and the Cincinnati Open. For singles, she’s played at Wimbledon, even though she got a knee injury.
© GettyCarlos Alcaraz’s comeback
After taking one of the longest breaks in his career, Carlos Alcaraz announced his return to the US Open, sharing the news on Instagram. Following the start of the tournament, Alcaraz shared a selfie from the stadium in Queens, New York, smiling with his fans cheering in the stands. “I missed you guys,” he captioned the post.
Alcaraz’s comeback hadn’t played since April 14, when he defeated Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open. He ultimately had to drop out of the tournament due to his injury.
Following one of his training sessions at the US Open, he spoke with journalists about his excitement to be back on the court. “Absolutely, after a couple of months recovering from my injury, I miss everything. I miss this place, I miss the crowd, I miss the ball kids,” he said.
“I think I couldn’t have started at a better place than here, so I feel very grateful. I’m just happy.”
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