Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he invited Emma Raducanu to form a high-profile partnership as a part of the US Open’s transformation of its mixed doubles tournament in August.
Despite the final entry deadline still being six weeks away, tournament organisers took great delight on Tuesday in releasing a provisional list of 16 teams, including nine of the world’s top-ten players in both men’s and women’s singles — attracted by a new $1million (£740,000) prize for the winners.
Raducanu and Alcaraz are listed as one of the headline pairs in the announcement after she accepted his offer. The 22-year-olds are familiar with each other through their regular appearances at combined ATP and WTA tournaments but have never previously appeared on the same court together, either in competition or practice.
At Flushing Meadows, the venue where she made her breakthrough in 2021 by winning the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier, this is a tremendous opportunity for Raducanu to play with and learn from one of the world’s best players. Alcaraz, ranked at No2 in the world, has already won five grand-slam singles titles, including the recent French Open, and is on track at a young age to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Alcaraz won the French Open this month after an epic clash with Sinner
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“I was thinking that I couldn’t play better if it wasn’t with Emma,” Alcaraz said. “I just asked Emma if she wants to play doubles with me. I made that special request.
“She took a while [he said lightheartedly]. No, not that much. But obviously she had to ask [her coaching team], and she had to think a little bit. She’s going to be the boss [on court].
“‘I’ve known Emma since a really long time ago, so we know each other. I have a really good relationship with her, so it’s just going to be interesting. We are both going to enjoy, for sure. I will try to put my doubles skill on it. We will try to win. But obviously it’s going to be really, really fun.”
Raducanu has contested only three professional tour-level doubles matches in her career but has recently expressed an interest in playing more, with Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaign in mind. Infamously she was due to compete with Andy Murray in last year’s Wimbledon mixed doubles before pulling out on the morning of the match because of “some stiffness” in her right wrist. This brought Murray’s Wimbledon career to a sudden and sad end. Last week Raducanu reached the second round at Queen’s with Katie Boulter, the British No2.
This is arguably the most star-studded grand-slam mixed doubles draw for 30 years, since the days when singles players would often compete in doubles as well. Other pairs in the provisional entry list include Djokovic and his fellow Serb Olga Danilovic, Jack Draper and the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka, Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov, the Italian pair Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti, the Russians Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, who are also a couple off the court.
Djokovic will also compete in the mixed doubles in New York, where the winners will claim $1million
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The popularity of this year’s event is down to a significant change in the scheduling format by US Open organisers. Rather than holding the mixed doubles during the second week, it has moved to the week before the main tournament — Tuesday August 19 and Wednesday August 20 — when singles qualifying is taking place. This gives main-draw players the chance to play some competitive matches as part of their preparations.
The method of entry is now based on singles ranking only, which proved controversial with traditional doubles specialists who are unable to play in the mixed event. Organisers have made no secret of their wish to target star names and have increased prize money to $1million for the winning team, up from $200,000 last year.
Alcaraz made a successful start to his grass-court schedule on Tuesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory against Australia’s Adam Walton. About an hour before his first match since the French Open final nine days previously, Alcaraz was thrown a curveball when he was informed that his original opponent and compatriot, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, had withdrawn because of injury. This required the ripping up of his original game plan and he was initially unsure how Walton, ranked No86, plays.
“I had to delete everything my coach told me at the beginning,” Alcaraz said. “ I didn’t know his game, which shot is his best. I didn’t know how to approach the match in that way. What I try is not to think about him. It’s just thinking about myself, about my game, try to play as good as I can. I think I did it pretty well.”
Draper will play Alexei Popyrin in the next round at Queen’s
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Jack Draper started his campaign more comfortably, defeating America’s Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-1. It was a relief for the British No 1 as he had suffered a physical setback during the build-up to his first grass tournament of the year.
“Last week in training I had a little niggle,” Draper said. “I had to have a break for a couple of days to see it through. I was training on the courts here and took a really heavy fall. I was limping around for a day or so. But it wasn’t anything that was going to keep me from playing. I got out there today and I felt really good.”