Former No.1 Slams Carlos Alcaraz for ‘Embarrassing’ US Open Mixed Doubles Comment

World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz will be playing mixed doubles at this year's US Open along with Emma Raducanu.

Former No.1 Slams Carlos Alcaraz for ‘Embarrassing’ US Open Mixed Doubles Comment

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/We Are Tennis)

The tennis community can’t wait to watch Carlos Alcaraz play mixed doubles at the US Open with Emma Raducanu. The mixed doubles will be held during the qualifying week and this attracted the top players from both the WTA and the ATP tours as several of them have now paired up to participate.

Alcaraz made a special request to Raducanu, who took some time to agree to this, given that she had to ask her team about it. Both Alcaraz and Raducanu lifted the singles title at Flushing Meadows, in 2022 and 2021, respectively. They have never participated in doubles or mixed doubles there.

Alcaraz thinks playing the mixed doubles would be fun and this comment of his did not go down well with former doubles No.1 Kristina Mladenovic. The Frenchwoman, who has won six doubles and three mixed doubles in Majors, thinks these events are never fun.

When you hear Alcaraz or others say they’re going to have fun while preparing for the US Open, it’s embarrassing. A Grand Slam is neither preparation nor fun. It’s years of sacrifice. When you’re young, you dream of winning one, even in doubles.

Kristina Mladenovic said (via Eurosport France)

Alcaraz recently lifted the Queen’s Club Championships by beating Jiri Lehecka, winning his fourth grass-court title. Raducanu lost in the quarterfinals of the Queen’s to 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Qinwen Zheng.

Alcaraz has started his preparation for Wimbledon where he will be bidding to win his third consecutive title (beat Novak Djokovic in both the finals in the last two seasons). Raducanu was ousted in the second round of the Eastbourne WTA 250 event. At Wimbledon, the Brit has never progressed beyond the fourth round. Last year, she lost in the last 16 to New Zealand’s Lulu Sun.

Carlos Alcaraz recalls winning the US Open for the first time

Carlos Alcaraz won his career’s first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open by beating Casper Ruud in four sets. But since that win, he struggled to play consistent tennis, failing to reach the final in the three tournaments he played next. Alcaraz, during a documentary-style interview with Rolex, recalled how he struggled after winning that Major.

Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros
Carlos Alcaraz (image via Roland Garros)

In the 2022 US Open, when I won my first Grand Slam, it was a very special moment in my career, in my life. In that moment, I felt invincible. When I got there, to the top, that’s when I struggled. I had several tournaments that didn’t go as well as they could.

This year, after losing the quarterfinal of the Australian Open to Djokovic, the five-time Grand Slam champion lifted his career’s first indoor hard-court title at the Rotterdam Open. But in the next three tournaments, he struggled to reach the final, including at Indian Wells, where he was playing as the defending champion.

After his Miami Open opening-round exit, the 22-year-old played on the clay swing, only to end his campaign with three titles, including at the French Open where he defended his crown by overcoming his arch-rival Jannik Sinner in five hours and 29 minutes. He became the third youngest man to clinch five Grand Slam titles after Bjorn Borg and his idol Rafael Nadal.

On the clay swing, Alcaraz also won the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time by beating Lorenzo Musetti, then spoiled home favorite Sinner’s run in his comeback event after his doping ban in Rome final. Alcaraz is so far the most successful player on the men’s tour, having reached six finals, and winning five titles.

The Queen’s title he lifted for the second time. At Queen’s in 2023, he became a grass-court champion for the first time by beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur.

Also read: Former WTA Star Sheds Light on Why Novak Djokovic Is Very Successful at Wimbledon