Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray are in agreement over the nerve-wracking experience of teaming up with Serena Williams in doubles. Williams made her return to the US Open on Tuesday, partnering Alcaraz in the mixed doubles competition.
The pair started strongly after easing past Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in the first round. However, they were eliminated in their quarter-final against No. 4 seeds Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli later on Tuesday night.
Alcaraz admits nerves
Alcaraz, 23, recently returned to competition after almost five months out with a wrist issue. The 44-year-old Williams quickly made her presence felt on the Grand Slam hopeful once they got to work.
“I think everybody could see, I double-faulted on the first point!” he said, discussing his early nerves at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I was really, really nervous playing alongside Serena.
“It’s still competition, full crowd, I was out almost five months. I almost forgot how I felt stepping on the court once again. But it was just a couple of games; she made it really easy for me to try and enjoy it and go for it every time.”
Murray’s 2019 experience
Those comments echoed Murray’s sentiment from 2019, when he teamed up with Williams at Wimbledon. Despite being two members of tennis royalty, the Scot admitted he needed time to settle in because he did not know Williams well.
“I didn't know her particularly well. I mean, we had spoken to each other and stuff obviously before we went out to play mixed, but I didn't know her that well,” he said at the time. “That was something that was actually, it was really nice for me, because I was nervous playing with her, obviously.
“I hadn't played loads in the build-up to it. Yeah, the fact that she was, I felt like she had a good sense of humour, anyway, and cracked a few jokes certainly early in the partnership helped me quite a lot. But I can’t share them in here, because they were of that nature! I thought that was cool.”
Enjoying the moment
Despite any nerves, Alcaraz was still able to revel in the process mid-match as he found his footing. During a change of ends, he said he was trying to simplify matters by doing exactly what he was told.
“I'm playing next to the one and only Serena Williams, so what else can I do? Just enjoy and try to do the things she told me to do,” he said during a brief interview.
That mirrored a similar comment made by Murray from their time together as playing partners. When told Williams had dubbed their duo ‘Murena’, he simply smiled and responded: “Serena is the boss, so whatever she says goes.”
Following their defeat to Bencic and Cobolli, Alcaraz will shift his focus to the men’s singles. The draw for that competition will be made on Thursday, while Williams is not competing in the women’s singles.
