I’m having a lot of fun. I enjoy it so much there.
Then came the part worth introducing. “But I’ll look at some tournaments to play doubles because I’m having a lot of fun. I enjoy it there a lot,” he said. “I’m using it to get better at some shots and some specific moments that I really want to use in singles, so hopefully I’m physically healthy enough to play more doubles on tour.”
The last time Alcaraz entered doubles on tour, she was 18 and ranked outside the top 10. He played in Madrid in May 2022 with Marc López, defeating Lukasz Kubot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6, 7-6 (2), 10-4, 10-4, S. 7-10 last 16.
After that, everything came in team jersey or mixed. For four and a half years, his performances in the double.
- Paris Olympics 2024 (with Rafael Nadal). wins over Gonzalez/Molteni and Griekspur/Kuhlhoff, then a loss to Krajicek/Ram in the quarterfinals.
- Davis Cup Group Stage 2024, Valencia (with Marcel Granollers). 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (2) Mensik/Pavlashek won.
- Laver Cup 2024, Berlin. 6-2, 7-6 (6) beat Shelton/Tiafoe vs. Casper Rude, lost to Fritz/Shelton 6-7 (5), 4-6 vs. Alexander Zverev.
- Davis Cup Final 2024, Malaga (with Granollers). lost to Koolhoff/van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals, 6-7 (4), 6-7 (3)
- Laver Cup 2025, San Francisco. beat Michelsen/Opelka 7-6 (4), 6-1 over Rudd, Fritz/Michelsen 7-6 (7), 6-4 over Mensik.
- US Open Mixed Doubles 2025 (with Emma Radukanu). lost to top seed Draper/Pegula 2-4, 2-4 in opening round
- US Open mixed doubles 2026 (with Serena Williams, wild card). Defeated Rutliff/Glaspool 5-3, 4-1, lost to Bencic/Cobolli 4-5 (4-7), 1-4 in the quarterfinals.
- Lever Cup 2026, London. Bublik/Fritzi won 6-4, 6-4 with Mensik
Mensik’s partnership is now 2-0 and both described it in similar terms afterwards. “It’s always good energy with Carlos. He’s a guy that’s really easy to follow, not only on the court, but off the court as well,” Cech said. “In San Francisco, when we played, we complemented each other pretty well on the court. I’m just happy that we showed that again this year.”
“I think we have great chemistry and we showed that in San Francisco and again this year. So we are 100% efficient when we come together,” Alcaraz said. “He is a good person off the court as well. We have a great laugh and I think we translate that on the court.”
The obstacle he cited is keeping him out of doubles since 2022, and it’s the same argument he made with the calendar — not that he doesn’t want to play, but that the body has to be spent somewhere. The difference on Friday was that he put a condition on it rather than a denial.
