Carlos Alcaraz has claimed that Emma Raducanu will be “the boss” when they join forces for the revamped US Open mixed doubles event later this summer. And the five-time Grand Slam champion admitted that the Brit took a while getting back to him on his “special request” to team up.
On Tuesday, the US Open announced a star-studded list of teams that have already signed up for the two-day mixed event staged in ‘Fan Week’. And all eyes were on the blockbuster partnership between former champions Alcaraz and Raducanu.
“She’s gonna be the boss,” the world No. 2 said of their exciting collaboration.
“Yeah, I mean, the US Open came to us and gave us opportunities to play mixed doubles. I’m super excited about it. I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament.
“Yeah, I’ve known Emma since a really long time ago, so we know each other. I have really good relationship with her. So it’s just gonna be interesting.
“You know, obviously both, you know, we are gonna enjoy, for sure. I will try, you know, to put my doubles skill on it. We will try to win. But obviously it’s going to be really, really fun.”
Asked whether he was the one who asked to play alongside Raducanu, the recent French Open champion replied: “Yeah. I mean, the tournament told us about the tournament, the mixed tournament.
“I was thinking that I couldn’t play better if it wasn’t with Emma. I just asked Emma if she wants to play doubles with me. Yeah, I made that special request.”
Raducanu’s response wasn’t immediate, however. “She took a while,” he laughed.
“No, not that much, not that much. But obviously she had to ask, and she had to think a little bit. But it wasn’t immediate, so…”
Raducanu made history when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open. At the time, she was aged 18 and ranked at No. 150 in the world. It was her fourth-ever professional tournament, months after completing her A-Levels.
A year later, Alcaraz followed in her footsteps by winning his first Major title in Flushing Meadows as a teenager. Aged 19, he beat Casper Ruud in the final and became the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history as a result.
The former champions aren’t the only exciting pairing in the draw. Jack Draper has teamed up with Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner will partner American star Emma Navarro, and WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has entered with ATP veteran Grigor Dimitrov. Novak Djokovic also looks set to play alongside countrywoman Olga Danilovic.