Earlier this year, the USTA made a bold announcement claiming that it would overhaul mixed doubles at the US Open. The main objective of that move was to bring more singles players, supposedly superstars, to an event that had lost relevance with fans. Did they succeed in attracting some big names? As per the latest update, nine of the Top players from both ATP and WTA have already registered their names for this iconic event. The championship-winning team will earn $1 million.
Talking about this decision, the USTA released a statement saying, “The goal [is] driving greater awareness for this storied competition, giving fans both in attendance and across the globe the opportunity to see tennis’ biggest stars—both men and women—compete side-by-side for a US Open Grand Slam title.” However, this move has induced a seismic shift in the tennis world, and there have been various reactions coming in from various directions. Some are positive while the others are negative…
But before we get to those comments, let’s check out who will feature in this event. This mixed doubles tournament will be held on August 19-20 before the commencement of the singles competition (August 24). Sixteen teams will compete over these two days in shorter matches. If we look at the entry list, the 2025 French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will pair with the 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu. The world number one, Jannik Sinner will be joined by Emma Navarro, while last year’s finalist Taylor Fritz will play with Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys will partner Frances Tiafoe, Iga Swiatek with Casper Ruud, Jessica Pegula with Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton will have the two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Taylor Townsend beside him.
Other than that, there are plenty of names, including Aryna Sabalenka-Grigor Dimitrov, the Serbian duo Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, the power couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, close friends Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka, will also be seen in action together, along with multiple other superstars. Reacting to this groundbreaking move, USTA CEO Lew Sherr said, “Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited. It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.” Their goal is to appeal to more fans and grow fan base around the world. However, this move has faced severe criticism from doubles specialists.
For example, the two-time mixed doubles champion (2024 AO and the 2024 Wimbledon), Jan Zielinski, was literally left fuming after being handed this brutal snub. He highlighted this new announcement made by the USTA through a tweet with the caption, “I guess winning two grand slams in mixed doubles in one year is not enough to get an invitation to US Open ‘exhibition’ event. Thanks for taking away the opportunity to compete and making it fair to everyone @usta @usopen.” Other than winning two major titles last year, the Polish mixed doubles star had also reached the SF of the French Open and QF at the US Open.
I guess winning two grand slams in mixed doubles in one year is not enough to get an invitation to US Open „exhibition” event.
Thanks for taking away the opportunity to compete and making it fair to everyone @usta @usopen pic.twitter.com/OMsoam39iC
— Jan Zielinski (@zielaczekk) June 18, 2025
Was Zielinski the only one to criticize this move at this historic tournament? Well, before him, even the Australian doubles player Ellen Perez dropped a comment on this, saying, “Tell us that you think doubles players are trash, that tradition is overrated and job opportunity is a thing of the past without actually saying it.” The Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori called this decision a “profound injustice” to the doubles players, and they described the new event as a “pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show.“
They believe making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations. But what do the other tennis stars have to say about this move at the US Open?
Coco Gauff’s ex-coach reacts to the US Open star-studded lineup
Although previously it was reported that there was a “94%” increase in viewership from the 2024 edition of the French Open, later on, it was found that it was only 1.5 million viewers for the women’s final in the U.S. That too, was when an American (Coco Gauff) went on to reach the final and lift the title later. So, seeing this concerning figure, was this move an effort to bring up more excitement for the fans surrounding the US Open? According to Jimmy Connors, the change, including the number of teams getting halved from 32 to 16, is a way to combat the growing popularity of other racket sports (like pickleball).
Even Andy Roddick showed his support for the move, saying, “I have no idea, but anyone who has questioned this move from the US Open is wrong based on who is playing in this. If our goal in doubles, mixed, whatever it is, is to grow the game, this is the win. This is the win, this is how it happens. This is absurd. I’ve always said tennis doesn’t really have like an all-star weekend, we don’t have that hype mechanism. You’re looking at an all-star weekend, and this is going to be played the week before the US Open.“
Although Coco Gauff and Holger Rune are the only two Top 10 players to not register their names in this event, Gauff’s ex-coach Brad Gilbert didn’t fail to showcase his excitement for this. He shared a tweet saying, “This is going to be very cool .” Others like Taylor Fritz also said that this is really going to be “exciting“. But what did Carlos Alcaraz have to say about partnering with Emma Raducanu? “She’s gonna be the boss. I’m super excited about it. I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament,” said the Spaniard. Different players have different opinions on this move, but what are your thoughts about this?
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