Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz have been confirmed as wild card entries in
this year’s US Open mixed doubles event with Jack Draper and Venus Williams also set to play.

In a bid to attract some of the sport’s biggest names, the USTA increased the prize money, switched mixed doubles from the same time as the singles and other doubles events to the week before the start of singles competition and reduced the format to first-to-four-game sets with no-ad scoring.

The mixed doubles championship will take place on August 19 and 20, where $1m (£750,000) in prize money is at stake for the winners.

Raducanu and Alcaraz are one of six teams who have received wild cards so far and two further wild cards are set to be announced at a later date to take the overall number of teams competing to 16.

Eight of the total 16 pairs have received direct entry into the draw, including Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner along with Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.

Britain’s Jack Draper is also in the main draw, paired with Paula Badosa, and US duo Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul will play together in front of their home crowd.

Other notable wild cards include Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, while two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion Venus Williams will compete with Reilly Opelka.

The 45-year-old Williams, who returned to the tennis tour last week after more than a year away, plays alongside big-serving Opelka.

It is still possible that Williams will receive a wild card entry for singles. Those are expected to be announced by the USTA the week of August 11.

She won one match each in singles and doubles at the DC Open in Washington last week after not competing since the Miami Open in March 2024.

Current US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have also received wild cards.

Among the partnerships the USTA were hoping to get into the tournament that were not on Tuesday’s list were Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur, who are engaged to be married; Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti, as well as Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios.

The eight teams in the field of the 2025 US Open mixed doubles championship via direct entry are listed by combined singles ranking below.

• Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner
• Paula Badosa and Jack Draper
• Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
• Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
• Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune
• Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
• Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul
• Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev

In addition, six teams received wild cards into the field

• Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz
• Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe
• Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
• Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
• Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
• Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka
• Two remaining wild card teams will be announced at a later date

Other enhancements for this year’s event will be…

• A player field featuring 16 teams – eight teams earning direct entry based on their combined singles ranking and eight wild-card entries.
• $1m in prize money for the US Open mixed doubles champions.
• Best-of-three-set matches with short sets to four games, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point match tie-break in lieu of a third set.
• The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games, featuring no-ad scoring, with tie-breakers at six-all and a 10-point match tie-breaker in lieu of a third set.
• All matches played in Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, Andy Murray’s former coach Miles Maclagan said: “I think it’s all exciting. I keep going back to Shelton and Townsend. She’s just got to No 1 in the doubles. That’s not a team you feel good about breaking, is it? They’ll be tough to stop.

“There’s always quality in Sinner and Alcaraz, who don’t play a lot of doubles, but they can put returns where they want, make a lot of returns, hit their spots on the serve.

“Jack Draper will be coming in a little undercooked because I don’t think he’s going to be playing any competitive tennis before that.”

Naomi Cavaday said: “You don’t get a lot of players who play doubles so it’s a little bit of an unknown. Raducanu reached the semi-finals of the doubles in Washington alongside Rybakina, so watch out for Raducanu and Alcaraz.

“I am really temped by both Brits. Draper along with Badosa, so long as she’s fit and healthy. I can’t wait to see Raducanu and Alcaraz but perhaps my strongest pair is Bencic and Zverev.”

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