Alcaraz-Raducanu Dream Team Doubles at US Open

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Alcarez and Raducanu
Alcarez (Credit Yannick JAMOT via Wikipedia) & Raducanu (Credit 350z33 via Wikipedia)

The men’s and women’s singles tournaments take the vast majority of the limelight at the Grand Slam events, which is understandable given that tennis is essentially an individual sport. Occasionally, doubles catches the attention of the wider tennis public, if briefly, but it is rare for mixed doubles to get too much coverage. This could change at the 2025 edition of the US Open, however.

The organisers, the United States Tennis Association, have decided to run the mixed doubles as a standalone event that, crucially, will take place before the main US Open gets underway. The rescheduling of the mixed doubles means the top players, who are seeking glory in their individual event, have been far more eager to sign up. Not only will the event now not interfere with their main goals for the US Open, running the mixed doubles before the men’s and women’s tournaments means the top players can essentially get a very useful warm-up on the hardcourts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Among the many stars to have signed up for the mixed doubles, one pairing in particular has caught the eye: five-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz and British former US Open winner Emma Raducanu. On paper, they have an excellent chance of going all the way, but whether they perform on the court will likely depend on their ability to play together and who they are drawn to play against.

Which Other Players Will Be in the Mixed Doubles at the US Open?


There will be 16 pairs competing in the mixed doubles, and although the official line-up might change ahead of the 28th July deadline, the organisers have released the following list of teams (with their current individual rankings in brackets):

  • Emma Navarro (9) and Jannik Sinner (1)
  • Zheng Qinwen (4) and Jack Draper (6)
  • Jessica Pegula (3) and Tommy Paul (8)
  • Jasmine Paolini (5) and Lorenzo Musetti (7)
  • Elena Rybakina (11) and Taylor Fritz (3)
  • Mirra Andreeva (7) and Daniil Medvedev (11)
  • Madison Keys (6) and Frances Tiafoe (13)
  • Aryna Sabalenka (1) and Grigor Dimitrov (19)
  • Iga Swiatek (8) and Casper Ruud (16)
  • Paula Badosa (10) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (25)
  • Emma Raducanu (36) and Carlos Alcaraz (2)
  • Belinda Bencic (35) and Alexander Zverev (3)
  • Olga Danilovic (37) and Novak Djokovic (5)
  • Taylor Townsend (97) and Ben Shelton (10)
  • Sara Errani (243) and Andrea Vavassori (336)
  • Naomi Osaka (57) and Nick Kyrgios (633)

As you can see, Alcaraz and Raducanu – or “Alcaranu”, as some annoying newspapers have dubbed the pair – won’t have things all their own way. Most of the top-ranked players in the world have thrown their hats into the mixed doubles ring, with Emma Navarro and current world number one Jannik Sinner looking like a particularly dangerous pairing. Meanwhile, Jack Draper, who many had thought would pair up with Raducanu, is playing alongside Chinese world number four Zheng Qinwen, which gives the Brit a decent chance of success.

The greatest men’s player of all time, Novak Djokovic, is also getting in on the action, and he’ll be chasing the mixed doubles title alongside 24-year-old fellow Serb, Olga Danilovic, who had some Grand Slam doubles success at junior level. Based on individual rankings, the top four pairings in the list above will be the duos to beat. But in the cut and thrust of doubles, anything can happen, and it promises to be an intriguing tournament. And don’t be deceived by the apparently poor rankings of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori – the Italian pair won the event in 2024 and doubles is very much a game for specialists!

The Most Successful Mixed Double Players Ever

Margaret Court
Margaret Court (Credit Koch, Eric via Wikipedia)

Many of the sport’s top players have dabbled in mixed doubles (and standard doubles) over the years, so it should come as no surprise that the player with the most mixed doubles Grand Slam titles is a player who jointly holds the record for the most singles Grand Slam titles: Margaret Court. Like Djokovic, Court won 24 singles Grand Slams, but she also landed a whopping 21 mixed doubles Grand Slams (and 19 in the women’s doubles too, for good measure!).

She’s followed in the all-time list of mixed doubles Grand Slam winners by Doris Hart, who played from 1949 to 1955 and landed 15 mixed doubles Slams to go with her six singles Grand Slam titles and 14 in the doubles.

Australian player Owen Davidson is the man with the most mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, with 11. He’s also the first on the list to have failed to win a singles Grand Slam. Also on 11 mixed doubles Slams is Billie Jean King, after whom the US Open venue is named.

Could Mixed Doubles Success Reignite Raducanu’s Singles Success?


As said, there had been talk that Raducanu would pair up with fellow Brit Jack Draper for the mixed doubles in New York. But when he heard the news that Raducanu had chosen to go with Alcaraz, Draper wasn’t bitter. In a post-match interview at Queens, Draper said, “A wise person once told me you should find the best partner, and that’s what she did in Alcaraz. I don’t blame her at all for that.” And given the way Alcaraz has been playing of late, Raducanu has given herself the best possible chance of winning the mixed doubles.

The young Brit famously won the singles US Open in 2021, when still a teenager. But since then, she’s got nowhere near winning a second Grand Slam. But perhaps winning the mixed doubles – or at least getting a few big wins under her belt – could give her the boost she needs to have a proper go at winning the singles title again. It would be a big ask given that she’s been knocked out in the first round of her two attempts at the US Open since her victory in 2021. But she’ll certainly give it her best shot and her fans will be cheering her all the way.