Alcaraz and Raducanu 'wanted to flirt' during their US Open mixed doubles says Roddick

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu's mixed doubles partnership at the 2025 US Open generated much attention, and Andy Roddick has made his feelings about their behavior abundantly clear.

The US Open's new mixed doubles format, playing during the fan week, made it easier for top players to enter. It also caused controversy because doubles specialists who would usually compete were not able to.

Although there were many exciting pairs, such as Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Alcaraz and Raducanu's caused the most hype since many speculated that the duo might be in a romantic relationship.

Those rumors intensified when Alcaraz admitted he personally asked to play with Raducanu, and the Briton was seen watching her partner's singles matches at the 2025 Queen's Club Championships and Wimbledon Championships.

They lost in the mixed doubles opening round against Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, who also gained attention for their dryly humorous interactions in interviews and press conferences, which seems to have created a lasting friendship.

Despite the defeat, Alcaraz and Raducanu laughed a lot during the contest and evidently had a lot of fun together. Opinions were split about whether they were flirting or just having a good time as tennis players and nothing more.

Roddick gave his view during a live episode of his podcast at the 2025 Laver Cup. The 2003 US Open champion believes they were primarily interested in flirting, and winning in the mixed doubles was secondary to that.

Jon Wertheim, Roddick's friend and podcast partner, then poked fun at him for the fact that Alcaraz has had two different haircuts since the mixed doubles. He was almost bald during his run to the men's singles title in New York and has since dyed his hair blonde.

Wertheim then swiftly changed the topic to when Alcaraz played doubles with Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Olympics. He may not have wanted to talk too much about a player's physical appearance after his suspension last year from the Tennis Channel for mocking Barbora Krejcikova's forehead.

Alcaraz's opening match for Team Europe on Day 1 was in the doubles with Jakub Mensik, which led to the discussion on Roddick's podcast. They gave the Europeans a 3-1 lead after the opening day by defeating Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen.

However, the Laver Cup's format means things can change quickly. Two points are awarded for the four matches on Day 2, and three for those on the final day. On Saturday evening, Alcaraz will face Fritz, whom he beat last year to seal a 13-11 victory for Team Europe.

The Spaniard, the best player in the world, with Jannik Sinner, will only lose if he is below his best. Roddick and Team World's captain Andre Agassi joked about him being overrated in a funny moment at the Laver Cup.