The Spaniard sheds light on his decision to pursue Emma Raducanu as a mixed doubles partner.
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday June 17, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t know much about what his US Open doubles pairing with Emma Raducanu will look like in August, but he is sure of one thing: “She’s gonna be the boss.”
Alcaraz, speaking to reporters after opening his grass-court season with a win over Australia’s Adam Walton, said that he made the decision to put the call into Raducanu.
Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu will be partners for the mixed doubles at the US Open 🤩 pic.twitter.com/m4fsbeWNAq
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 17, 2025
“When the tournament told us about the mixed tournament, I just asked Emma if she wants to play doubles with me,” he said. “Yeah, I made that special request.”
That means Jack Draper, who is paired with Zheng Qinwen on the US Open entry list, will not get the chance to play with Raducanu, but he’s happy with his decision to join forces with Zheng, who is an IMG-sponsored client just like he is.
“A wise person once told me you should find the best partner, and that’s what she did in Alcaraz,” Draper said. “I don’t blame her at all for that. “Qinwen I know from the tour. I have seen her around. Obviously a great player herself and has a really good game. I think it will be fun to get out there and play with her and see how we get on.”
A STAR-STUDDED 🤩 lineup of teams have officially entered the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship!
More info: https://t.co/bIMJGbf3qI pic.twitter.com/Hw1yA87pgj
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 17, 2025
Raducanu “Took a While”
Alcaraz admitted that Raducanu needed a few minutes to think about her decision. Most players would likely jump at the chance to partner with Raducanu, but the former US Open champion is a player with a lot of options.
“She took a while,” Alcaraz said, when asked about whether Raducanu said yes right away. “Not that much [time], but obviously she had to ask, and she had to think a little bit.”
Alcaraz says he’s excited about the new mixed doubles format at the US Open. He has never played mixed doubles at a Slam before. Raducanu was signed up to play mixed with Andy Murray last year, but controversially was forced to pull out.”
This year’s mixed should be different, as players won’t be involved with their main draw efforts, as the event is scheduled for the Wednesday and Thursday before the main draw begins.
“I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament,” Alcaraz said. “I know Emma since a really long time ago, so we know each other. I have a really good relationship with her. So it’s just gonna be interesting.