Serena Williams Returns to Competitive Tennis for the First Time in Four Years

T

he dream team of Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz have signed up to the US Open mixed doubles championship, but the American great won’t be playing in the women’s singles.

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.