Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz have put to rest concerns about their participation in the U.S. Open mixed doubles by securing a spot on the latest entry list. Rumors had been swirling that the pair might pull out of the high-stakes event at Flushing Meadows next month.

British star Raducanu was said to be keen on concentrating on the singles draw, having gained some traction by rising to No. 39 in the WTA rankings.

Alcaraz also recently backed out of the Canadian Open due to a muscle injury he sustained post-Wimbledon. These circumstances fueled conjecture that the glamorous doubles team-up between the close pals wouldn’t materialize when the tournament kicks off on August 19-20.

However, Raducanu and Alcaraz have now been officially announced as wildcard entries for the U.S. Open mixed doubles. Jack Draper, who had previously withdrawn from the competition, is also making a comeback to the entry list.

The British No. 1 will team up with Paula Badosa, who was originally set to play with Stefanos Tsitsipas before the duo parted ways.

Tennis legend Venus Williams will partner with Reilly Opelka following her return to the tour at age 45. Eight out of the 16 pairs have earned direct entry into the draw, including Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner, as well as Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.

Raducanu and Alcaraz are expected to be the main draw. The tournament will feature shorter sets of four games, with a staggering $1 million prize up for grabs for the winners.

The Spaniard had humorously remarked that his British counterpart was slow to respond to his invitation to team up for mixed doubles.

When questioned about the holdup, Raducanu playfully responded: “Gotta keep ’em on their toes. 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.”

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Discussing the dynamic of their duo, Alcaraz declared: “She’s going to be the boss. The US Open came to us and gave us the opportunity to play mixed doubles. I’m super excited about it, it’s going to be great, it was an amazing idea from the tournament.

“I’ve known Emma since a long time ago – I have a really good relationship with her so it’s going to be interesting. We are going to enjoy for sure, I’ll try to put my doubles skills on and we’ll try to win.”