Carlos Alcaraz Admits He Was ‘Really Nervous’ While Playing Alongside Serena Williams at US Open

Carlos Alcaraz finally played his first official match since the first round of the Barcelona Open. In the ongoing US Open mixed doubles, the pair of Alcaraz and Serena Williams beat Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe 5-3, 4-1 in the opening round.

The US Open marked the second Grand Slam tournament that Williams played since reversing her retirement decision. She competed in Wimbledon singles and lost to Maya Joint in three sets. Williams, however, will not be playing singles in her home Slam.

Alcaraz’s participation at the US Open was uncertain at first given that he withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters, meaning he still has no match practice in singles. The singles main draw starts on August 30, and the Spaniard will be bidding to defend his title.

Following his latest match, the seven-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he suffered from nerves while playing alongside the legendary Williams.

I mean, I think everybody could see I double-faulted the first point. Yeah, I was really, really nervous. I mean, playing alongside Serena, obviously, it’s still competition, full crowd.

Carlos Alcaraz said during the on-court interview

Last year in mixed doubles, Alcaraz paired up with Emma Raducanu, and they lost in the opening round. Raducanu is not competing this time due to a right leg stress fracture.

I was out for four months and a half, almost five months, I just almost forget how I feel stepping on the court once again so… But it was just a couple of games then, she made it easy for me… just try to enjoy to go for it every time, and obviously the people, like the week before the tournament began, being super electric, helped me a lot. So I just enjoy so much.

Carlos Alcaraz added

Following their opening-round win, Alcaraz and Williams lost to the pair of Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4(4), 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

Patrick McEnroe on what Carlos Alcaraz must do to be considered the favorite to win the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz this time won’t be entering the US Open as the heavy favorite due to his comeback after a long injury hiatus. But if he wins his first two matches, he will be considered a favorite to defend his title, believes Patrick McEnroe.

Obviously, if Alcaraz comes back and gets through a few matches, looks good, he’ll quickly become the favorite. I mean, he’s the favorite right now, but he’d quickly become a bigger favorite. There’s no doubt the fact he hasn’t played since the spring, with Sinner out, this is a monster opportunity.

Patrick McEnroe said on ESPN

Sinner is out because of a knee injury, which also forced him to skip the Cincinnati Masters. This US Open is the first Major since his Grand Slam debut at the 2019 US Open that the 25-year-old will skip. He clinched this title in 2024 by beating Taylor Fritz and lost to Alcaraz in the final last year.

Alcaraz will be chasing his third title of the season in the New York Major. Earlier this year, he became an Australian Open champion for the first time by defeating Novak Djokovic, which also made him the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam.

He then beat Arthur Fils in the Qatar Open final. After his Sunshine Double exits, the Murcia native failed to defend his title in Monte Carlo, losing to Sinner, and also lost his No.1 ranking to the five-time Grand Slam champion. At present, Alcaraz is ranked third, while reigning French Open champion Alexander Zverev is occupying the second spot.

Also read: Andy Roddick Makes Gael Monfils Comment While Criticizing Stan Wawrinka’s US Open Wildcard Decision