Emma Raducanu in new Carlos Alcaraz relationship admission as star 'kept on his toes'

Wales Online

24-06-2025

Emma Raducanu in new Carlos Alcaraz relationship admission as star 'kept on his toes'
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz will team up in the mixed doubles at the US Open later this year, with the Brit admitting she left the Spaniard hanging before agreeing
Emma Raducanu is seen in attendance during the Men's Singles semi-final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Roberto Bautista Agut
(Image: Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA )
Emma Raducanu has opened up about leaving Carlos Alcaraz in suspense over their proposed US Open doubles partnership, although they share a long-standing friendship.
The British tennis sensation is poised to join forces with the consecutive Wimbledon men's champion at this year's US Open.
The duo promises to be a show-stopping entertainment for spectators, yet Raducanu disclosed that she made Alcaraz wait after he initially reached out to her.
Reflecting on the double act they'll soon form, the 22-year-old quipped: "Gotta keep them on their toes!"
She further remarked: "I mean, of course, I had to ask my team if they wanted me to play.
"But for me, when he asked me, I was going to say yes, I just had to kind of go through the formality of asking my coach, so I didn't just make the decision."
Article continues below
Raducanu and Alcaraz are set for a nostalgic coming together at the US Open, a nod to the early days of their friendship sparked nearly four years ago at the same event.
She recounted: "I've known him for years and actually in Wimbledon 2021 it was like kind of the first time I started getting to know him, and 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 and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too," reports the Mirror.
"And I remember he beat Stef [Tsitsipas] in the third round and it was like a big win, his breakout kind of win on a big stage and it was really cool to kind of, I guess, go through that tournament together and then I kept going through the US Open, but we were staying in touch for the whole time and yeah, it's nice."
Despite their divergent paths since that time, Raducanu added: "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."
Speaking about the significance of longstanding friendships, she said: "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."
Article continues below
Raducanu is hopeful that her camaraderie with Alcaraz will spur her on to further success following her surprise victory at the 2021 US Open, where she clinched the women's singles title on her first attempt, a feat achieved by only one other player before her.
Yet since her stunning triumph, Raducanu has struggled to reach the same heights, failing to advance past the first round in her subsequent two attempts and missing out on the competition in 2023.