The inside story of how Alcaraz asked Raducanu to be his partner in the US Open doubles: "There's a real connection."

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu will play together in the US Open mixed doubles in a tournament also featuring players such as Djokovic, Sabalenka, Sinner, and Swiatek. A few days ago, the Murcia-born tennis player revealed that he trusts his partner and believes she will be the one in charge. Now, Raducanu has explained how the El Palmar native asked her to form the duo.

The British tennis player, who attended Queen's to watch the semi-final match between Alcaraz and Bautista, told BBC Sport that she first had to ask if she could play with him: "I had to ask my team if they wanted me to play the doubles. When he asked me, I was going to say yes, but I just had to go through the formality of asking my coach; I wasn't going to make the decision just like that."

Raducanu also explains that she has known the Spaniard for years: "I knew him well at Wimbledon 2021 and then at the US Open 2021. I remember him always playing a day before me. I saw him winning and that motivated me to do the same. I remember him beating Tsitsipas in the third round and it was a great triumph. It was fantastic, in a way, to experience that tournament together . We both kept in touch all the time."

"We still have a very good relationship. It's clear he's overtaken me, but it's great to see that it's still there. I think we all value those bonds we created when we were younger, because when you become more well-known, you realize you want to talk to the people you've known since you were little again; you feel like there's a real connection there. Friends you've known for a long time mean more to you," the tennis player concludes.