Emma Raducanu has opened up about her friendship with Carlos Alcaraz after the pair signed up to play mixed doubles together at the US Open later this year. Ahead of their highly anticipated partnership, the British star made a trip to Queen’s Club over the weekend to watch Alcaraz win his semi-final match.
Alcaraz recently revealed that Raducanu took her time responding to his invitation to team up on the doubles court — something the 22-year-old now playfully addressed by saying she had to “keep him on his toes.”
Last week, the five-time Grand Slam champion confirmed he was the one who initiated the idea. “She took a while,” he joked.
Raducanu has now explained that the delay wasn’t hesitation — just protocol. “Gotta keep them on their toes!” she laughed. “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 myself.”
Their connection goes back several years, and Raducanu revealed that Alcaraz had unknowingly played a role in her magical 2021 US Open title run. Watching his rise to the quarter-finals gave her added motivation to match his success.
“I’ve known him for years,” she said. “And actually, Wimbledon 2021 was kind of the first time I started getting to know him. I had a good run there, and then again at the US Open in 2021. I remember he was always playing the day before me, and I’d be on court the following day. I would see him win, and it motivated me to do the same — to get myself into that position, too.
“I remember he beat Stef [Tsitsipas] in the third round — it was a big win for him, kind of his breakout on a big stage. It was really cool to go through that tournament together. I kept going through the draw, but we stayed in touch the whole time. Yeah, it’s nice.”
Raducanu said she gravitates toward people who knew her before her breakthrough in New York, and Alcaraz is one of those familiar faces — even if his career has skyrocketed since then.
“We have a good relationship still,” she said. “He’s obviously overtaken me a lot, but it’s nice that we’ve had that connection for a while.
“I think for all of us, we really value those connections from when we were younger. Because once you become a bit more known or successful, you tend to revert back to those people you’ve known for a long time. That’s when you realise those are real, genuine connections. Life gets busy, and you might meet a lot of new people, but the friendships that date back are the ones that mean the most.”
The British No. 1 also said she relates to Alcaraz’s need to unwind away from tennis. While the Spaniard is known for his annual getaways to Ibiza, Raducanu prefers more low-key activities like yoga and long walks.
“I think in that sense, we’re quite similar,” she explained. “We both play our best when we’re in a creative, relaxed mindset and really enjoying it. You see us both smiling on the court, having fun, and leaning into those positive emotions.
“Whenever I’ve tried to play with negativity or force anything, it just doesn’t work for me. Some players might thrive on that kind of energy, but I need to be in a positive, free-flowing headspace.
“When I watch him play, he’s always got a smile on his face, always enjoying it — and I think that’s why he can pull off such crazy shots and turn points around when he’s not the favourite. It comes from a place of curiosity, like, ‘What can I do with this ball? Can I flip this point?’ It’s amazing to see that on the men’s side — and I definitely take inspiration from it whenever I can.”
