Serena Williams returned to the courts after three years, while Carlos Alcaraz did so after months away due to a wrist injury. The combination of two stars from different generations turned their mixed doubles debut into one of the most talked-about matches at the start of the US Open.
They won their first match amid shouts, celebrations, and a connection that quickly swept through the crowd. However, to everyone’s surprise, defeat came in the quarterfinals, but not even elimination managed to take the spotlight away from them: Serena and Alcaraz had already turned their brief adventure together into one of the stories of the tournament.
New York surrendered once again to Serena Williams
This Tuesday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion played at the US Open for the first time since 2022, and she did not do it alone: by her side was none other than Carlos Alcaraz, the Spaniard who just a few months ago seemed to be out of everything because of an injury, and who was back in competition.
The proposal had all the ingredients. On one side was one of the greatest legends in the history of women’s tennis, and on the other, the current US Open champion. The crowd’s response validated the organizers’ proposal, as they invited the pair through a special invitation.
Alcaraz acknowledged what he felt when playing with Serena.
During his participation in the tournament, the Spaniard admitted to being “very, very nervous” to share the court with the renowned tennis player.
The experience, however, ended up being positive for both. Williams and Alcaraz won their first match and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were ultimately defeated by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
After the defeat, Carlos Alcaraz referred again to his experience alongside Serena Williams and made it clear that the result did not diminish the value of the moment. In a post shared on X, the Spaniard appears alongside the American and says that he feels very good after having played with her. Serena, staying true to the lighthearted tone they maintained throughout the day, recalled that they had won one match and lost another. “We tied”, Alcaraz replied with a laugh.
The exchange works as the perfect ending to an adventure that lasted just two matches. Alcaraz had admitted that he was very nervous about sharing the court with Serena, and a few hours later, the two ended up talking about the experience with humor, without giving too much importance to the elimination. The reaction also shows the good chemistry they had during their brief run in the US Open mixed doubles.
Some photos and a message for Serena: The farewell message
The adventure ended in the quarterfinals, but Carlos Alcaraz wanted to keep one last memory of his partnership with Serena Williams. The Spaniard posted two photographs on X and accompanied the post with a message of just 1 word along with an emoji: “Serena! 🐐”. One of the images shows them together during the match and the other captures the hug between them after the encounter. Meanwhile, on Instagram he expressed: It was a real honor to play with you Serena! 🐐
The goat has a special meaning in the world of sports. GOAT is the acronym forGreatest Of All Time, an expression used to define whoever is considered the best of all time.
The term became especially popular in recent years around Lionel Messi, whose figure constantly appears associated with the concept of GOAT in football. By using it with Serena, Alcaraz was doing something similar: recognizing the American as one of the great figures in the history of her sport. The Spaniard’s gesture reflects how meaningful it was for him to share the court with Serena.
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