Emma Raducanu has opened up about her long-standing friendship with Carlos Alcaraz, revealing how the pair first connected during Wimbledon 2021 and how their relationship has led to a new on-court partnership at the upcoming US Open.
Speaking from Eastbourne this week, Raducanu shared how their friendship, which began when they were both rising teenagers on tour, will now take center stage in New York as they team up for the tournament’s newly revamped mixed doubles event, which features a $1 million prize pool.
“He’s so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around,” said Raducanu. “I’ve known him for years. Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him.
“He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too.”
She explained that they stayed in contact through the 2021 US Open, where Raducanu went on to make history as the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, who followed up with his own US Open win in 2022, has since climbed to world No. 2 and claimed multiple Grand Slam titles.
“We have a good relationship still. He’s obviously overtaken me a lot, but it’s nice that we have that from a while ago,” Raducanu added.
Mixed doubles pairing rooted in shared history
Alcaraz told reporters at Queen’s that Raducanu made him wait for an answer when he asked her to play doubles.
Raducanu responded playfully: “Gotta keep them on their toes! I had to ask my team if they thought I should play, but when he asked me, I was going to say yes, I just had to go through the formality of asking my coach.”
Now both 22, Raducanu and Alcaraz have grown up on tour alongside one another and remained close despite the pressures of global fame and Grand Slam success. For Raducanu, those early friendships carry lasting significance.
“I think, for all of us, we really value those connections we had from when we were young,” she said. “When you become a bit more known or more successful, you find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age because you’re like, that’s a real genuine connection.”
Raducanu also praised Alcaraz‘s infectious energy on court. “When I see him play, he’s always got a smile on his face and that’s, I feel like, why he’s able to do such crazy shots, because it’s coming from a place of curiosity.”
She said that although she does not take the same Ibiza-style breaks as Alcaraz, who credited a recent Queen’s title to a short holiday after the French Open, she could relate to his need for joy and clarity.
“Yeah, minus the Ibiza part! We both play our best when we’re enjoying it,” she said. Their new mixed doubles pairing is more than just an exciting draw for fans.
It is a celebration of shared beginnings, deep friendship, and mutual respect, qualities that may just carry them into the later rounds at Flushing Meadows.
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