There was plenty of excitement when Raducanu’s partnership with Alcaraz was unveiled a few weeks ago, but some questioned why she wasn’t teaming up with compatriot Draper.
And world No. 5 Draper has already answered that question, admitting he couldn’t blame Raducanu for picking one of the best players in the world.
“A wise person once told me you should find the best partner, and that’s what she did in Alcaraz. I don’t blame her at all for that,” he said earlier this summer.
“Yeah, I think she will have a lot of fun playing with Carlos. He’s obviously the best player in the world probably right now, along with [Jannik] Sinner.
“Great at doubles, as well. Saw that with Rafa [Nadal] at the Olympics. She’s gone about and chose the best partner, for sure. Hopefully they do well.”
Draper may want to take back his well-wishes for Raducanu and Alcaraz, as he will face them in the first round on Tuesday.
Their match is scheduled not before 2pm local time (7pm UK) – less than 24 hours after Alcaraz’s Cincinnati Open final. The winner will likely have to play their quarter-final roughly an hour after finishing the match.
The Spaniard faced his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, in the championship match in Ohio on Monday afternoon. But it lasted just 23 minutes, as Sinner retired citing illness while he was 5-0 down.
It means the blockbuster Raducanu/Alcaraz vs Draper/Pegula match is in doubt, as the world No. 2 has a tight window to travel to New York ahead of his first match alongside Raducanu.
While it wasn’t the ending anyone wanted in Cincinnati, at the very least, it means Alcaraz has more time to recover before his US Open mixed doubles campaign gets underway.
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