SERENA WILLIAMS RETURNS TO US OPEN AT 44, WINS FIRST MATCH BEFORE EMOTIONAL EXIT WITH ALCARAZ
Serena Williams has made a remarkable competitive return to the US Open at the age of 44, stepping back onto Arthur Ashe Stadium four years after her emotional farewell from the tournament.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion partnered Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz in the revamped mixed-doubles competition in New York on Tuesday, 25 August 2026.
Williams and Alcaraz electrified the crowd by winning their opening match before their run eventually ended in the quarter-finals later the same day.
But the result almost became secondary.
One of the greatest tennis players in history was competing at the US Open again.
Serena returns to Arthur Ashe Stadium
Williams had not played a competitive match at Flushing Meadows since 2022.
That previous appearance was widely regarded as the final chapter of her legendary career.
Williams left Arthur Ashe Stadium in tears after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, having announced shortly beforehand that she was moving away from professional tennis.
Four years later, she walked back onto the same court.
The reception was enormous.
Thousands of supporters inside Arthur Ashe Stadium rose to welcome Williams as she entered alongside Alcaraz.
Williams herself acknowledged afterwards that she had never expected to experience the moment again.
Williams and Alcaraz win opening match
Their opening opponents presented a serious challenge.
Williams and Alcaraz faced Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool, two accomplished doubles players.
Alcaraz initially appeared nervous and dropped serve in the opening game.
The superstar pairing then settled.
Williams began making an impact with her returns and aggressive shot-making, while Alcaraz’s movement and power created increasing pressure.
After trailing 1-3, Williams and Alcaraz reeled off five consecutive games.
They ultimately won 5-3, 4-1.
The victory took them into the quarter-finals and gave Williams a winning return to the stadium where she had captured six US Open singles championships.
Alcaraz admits nerves playing alongside Serena
Even Alcaraz appeared overwhelmed by the occasion.
The multiple Grand Slam champion admitted that playing alongside Williams made him unusually nervous.
He double-faulted on the first point of the match.
The reaction demonstrated the extraordinary stature Williams retains among even the current generation of tennis superstars.
Alcaraz grew up watching Williams dominate the sport.
On Tuesday, he found himself sharing the court with her.
Dream run ends in quarter-finals
The fairy tale did not continue all the way to the trophy.
Williams and Alcaraz returned to the court later on Tuesday to face Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
The opening set was competitive.
But Bencic and Cobolli ultimately prevailed 5-4(4), 4-1, ending Williams and Alcaraz’s run.
Reuters reported that the American showed flashes of her former brilliance before the opposition took control during the second set.
Williams nevertheless left having proved that her return was considerably more than a ceremonial appearance.
She had played two competitive matches.
And she had won one of them.
Williams returned at 44
Williams’s age makes the comeback even more extraordinary.
She is now 44.
Her professional career began three decades ago.
Williams won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 1999, when many current professional players had not yet been born.
She eventually accumulated 23 Grand Slam singles championships, the most by any woman during the Open Era.
Her achievements also include six US Open singles titles.
She won the New York mixed-doubles title in 1998 alongside Max Mirnyi.
Tuesday therefore brought Williams back to a tournament intertwined with virtually every stage of her extraordinary career.
Could Serena play again?
That has immediately become the next question.
Williams’s appearance at the US Open followed her decision to return to competitive doubles earlier this summer.
Now AP reports that Williams has even raised the possibility of playing women’s doubles alongside her sister Venus.
No future US Open appearance should be treated as confirmed unless Williams or tournament organisers announce it.
But the possibility ensures the story remains alive.
For years, Serena and Venus Williams formed one of the greatest doubles combinations in tennis history.
Together they won 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles.
Another appearance by the sisters would immediately become one of the biggest stories of the tournament.
A comeback few expected
When Serena Williams walked away from Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2022, the moment felt final.
The tears, standing ovation and tributes resembled the closing scene of one of sport’s greatest careers.
Yet Williams deliberately avoided describing that moment as a conventional retirement.
Four years later, the distinction suddenly matters.
On Tuesday, Serena Williams returned.
She served.
She attacked.
She won.
She lost.
And more than 10,000 supporters inside Arthur Ashe Stadium once again experienced something they thought they had seen for the final time.
At 44 years old, Serena Williams has played competitive tennis at the US Open again.
And after her comments about potentially playing alongside Venus, nobody can say with certainty that Tuesday was the last time.
