Overview
- The USTA confirmed Saturday that Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz accepted a remaining wildcard to play together in the reconfigured US Open mixed draw.
- Alcaraz is returning from a four-month wrist layoff that began after an April injury in Barcelona and will use the mixed event as part of his comeback while defending his singles title.
- The mixed contest uses the Fast-Fours short-match rules with sets to four games, tiebreaks at 3–3, and match-tiebreaks in lieu of full third sets through the semifinals, and it is scheduled for August 25–26 ahead of the singles main draw.
- The draw is stacked with headline teams including Novak Djokovic/Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev/Taylor Townsend and also features wildcards such as Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik and Emma Navarro/Tommy Paul.
- Former doubles specialists and players like Alizé Cornet criticize the star-focused format as unfair to year-round doubles players and say the change prioritizes spectacle and revenue over the discipline's traditional competitive pathway.