Serena Williams is playing mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open

Serena Williams returns to the US Open on Aug. 25 in mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz. It is her first appearance at the tournament since 2022. She is not entered in singles, which keeps the comeback focused on one event and one partnership.

The pair received a wild card and opens against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. Celebrity will draw attention, but the opponents bring the doubles skill needed to make the match more than a ceremony. The format gives Williams and Alcaraz no soft path based on name recognition.

The redesigned competition also carries a $1 million champions' prize. That money and the stand-alone presentation are meant to lift mixed doubles from a side event into a product fans choose to watch on its own.

Williams is the strongest possible test of that idea. If the audience stays with the bracket after her match, the event gains more than a memorable return. It gains evidence that mixed doubles can convert star power into durable attention.