Of all the US Open mixed doubles teams that were announced earlier this month, Carlos Alcaraz’s partnership with Emma Raducanu has drawn the most interest.
After all, these are two of the biggest names in tennis at the moment, as a couple of young superstars with bright futures ahead.
For the Spaniard, he is already well on his way towards cementing his place in history.
Meanwhile, with persisting injury issues that have plagued her career ever since that US Open title in 2021, Emma Raducanu is some way behind.
That has not taken away from their budding relationship though, she assures.
Emma Raducanu on her relationship with Carlos Alcaraz
Speaking ahead of their poised partnership at the US Open, Raducanu was asked to expand upon their friendship.
She started by remembering how they shared the stage even before New York back when she won her maiden Grand Slam title noting: ‘I’ve known him for years and actually in Wimbledon 2021 was kind of the first time I started getting to know him.
‘I had a good run there and then also again in the US Open in 2021. And I remember he was always playing the day before me and I was playing like the second day of the round and I would see him win.’
Raducanu continued: ‘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.
‘I think for all of us, we really kind of value those connections that we had from when we were young because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age because you’re like, that’s a real genuine connection, because it becomes very busy and you have a lot more friends but the ones that you’ve known for a long time mean a lot more to you.’
This comes after Alcaraz won his second Queen’s title just last week.
Emma Raducanu will be hoping to copy Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon success
Whilst Carlos Alcaraz is the outstanding favourite to win Wimbledon on the men’s side, with few even close to his level on grass, the women’s tournament is far more open.
In fact, there is no real outstanding contender, thus leaving a power vacuum for someone to fill.
However unlikely, Raducanu will of course have grand aspirations of filling that, especially given she does perform well on grass.
Last year, she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, and will have felt disappointed not to have progressed further.
This time, in the middle of a year where she has found form and fitness unlike times prior, Raducanu can feel confident that she might follow in Alcaraz’s footsteps and shock the world with a title at the All-England Club.
