The announcement of the mixed doubles teams for the upcoming US Open, which will feature Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz playing together, sparked speculation about the nature of their relationship (currently a friendship) between the British and Spanish tennis stars.
Interest grew even more after Raducanu, 22, was seen in the stands at Queen’s Club, watching Alcaraz’s Centre Court match against Roberto Bautista. Raducanu, currently competing at the WTA 250 event in Eastbourne, spoke to the BBC and lightheartedly addressed her pairing with Alcaraz.
When asked about humorous fan accounts on social media claiming the two are “meant to be,” she couldn’t help but laugh. One fan post even joked that Alcaraz’s loss in the Doha quarterfinals was due to being distracted by Raducanu’s injury. “I hadn’t heard that one,” she said about the speculation. “But I’m glad the internet is enjoying it. It’s great that we’re keeping people entertained.”
Raducanu explains why she took her time to respond
Raducanu also shared the backstory behind their US Open partnership with a touch of humor, noting that she didn’t give Alcaraz, 22, an immediate answer, something that Alcaraz confessed recently in an interview.
“I had to make him wait a bit,” she said, according to the Daily Express. “Naturally, I wanted to say yes right away, but I needed to get approval from my team first. I couldn’t just decide on my own. I had to check with my coach and do things properly.”
Emma Raducanu reflects on their relationship
During the interview with the BBC, Raducanu opened up about how her friendship with Alcaraz developed back in 2021. “That was the year we both made big moves at Wimbledon,” she said. “I think he had a five-set win in the first round, maybe against Uchiyama. Then he had a great run at the US Open, especially that win over Stef [Tsitsipas] in the third round. I remember wanting to follow his progress because he always played the day before I did.
“We’ve stayed in touch ever since. It’s been incredible to watch him keep climbing, and what’s even cooler is that we were already talking and friends before either of us had achieved anything big,” she added.
US Open new Mixed Doubles Event
Rather than hold a traditional mixed doubles event in 2025, the USTA has decided to move its mixed doubles event, with the competition now being held in the pre-tournament fan week. While the move has its own controversy, tennis’ biggest (singles) stars have embraced the change.
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Do you agree with the change of format for the US Open Mixed Doubles Tournament?
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Sixteen teams will take part in the event, which will be a best-of-three sets, first-to-four games format, with a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a full third set. With a $1 million prize on the line, the teams will play on August 19th and 20th during Week 1 of the US Open.