“The US Open has long strived to find innovative and new ways to make the game more accessible and entertaining for our fans,” said the US Open tournament Director Stacey Allaster, on Tuesday. Her response came with a massive announcement for the mixed doubles event in the upcoming edition of the hard court slam. This time, fans will witness a star-studded action at the Flushing Meadows. Prominent players like five-time slam king and 2025 French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will be seen pairing up with British sensation and 2021 US Open queen Emma Raducanu. But that’s not it. The revamped format will also see Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, 24-time slam winner Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Jessica Pegula and many others in pairs. Except for one popular face. This season’s French Open champion, Coco Gauff. But why?
For the uninitiated, the US Open’s official account on X revealed on June 17 that 16 mixed doubles teams will compete at the US Open in August. The Fast 4 format (with each set being of 4 games instead of 6) will be played during the fan week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. While the initial news raised excitement among tennis enthusiasts, Gauff’s name was missing from the star-studded list. Now, the American has revealed why she’s not willing to compete in this lucrative two-day event where the winning team will pocket $1 million in prize money.
Per Gauff, she’s simply focusing on her singles campaign going forward. And it seems like the timing of the US Open mixed doubles event will affect her training. Especially for her singles appearance at the Flushing Meadows. “For me personally, I most likely won’t be participating just because it’s not a great time for me. I just think it will take away for the preparation from US Open,” reported Daily Express US on June 17.
A STAR-STUDDED lineup of teams have officially entered the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship!
More info: https://t.co/bIMJGbf3qI pic.twitter.com/Hw1yA87pgj
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 17, 2025
Moreover, she mentioned that it’s an “interesting situation because, obviously, I’m not a mixed doubles player. Some rely on that income. Yeah, it’s an event that’s been there forever.”
Concluding her reaction, she said, “It’s one of those things that I feel like I have to wait and see how it pans out over time, pans out after it happens and see how it can affect the sport in the whole. But yeah, I probably won’t be participating just because the timing isn’t a good time for me.”
After the French Open victory, Gauff refused to take a long break. Instead, she’s focusing on the grass season now.
Coco Gauff’s expected schedule leading up to the US Open
Once the grass court event in Berlin is wrapped up (June 16 to June 22), Coco Gauff will head to the All England Club. At the third major of the season (June 30 to July 13), she will look to make a solid impact. It’s because she’s yet to reach beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon. After the action in London, the World No.2 is expected to compete in Canada. Looking at how her last season went, she’s likely to appear at the National Bank hard court event in Canada. It will run from July 27 to August 7.
Then there’s also the Cincinnati Open (August 7 to August 18), where Gauff could appear. Being the last main hard court event ahead of the US Open, it will act as the perfect opportunity for her preparations. And then, of course, there is the US Open at Flushing Meadows (August 24 to September 7). This time, Gauff will try to win her second trophy since the historic 2023 triumph.
How does the US Open mixed doubles prize money compare to the rest of the majors?
Speaking more of the 2025 US Open mixed doubles event, it’s become a talking point for more than one reason. Of course the attention will be on stars like Alcaraz, Djokovic, Raducanu, Sabalenka, Pegula, Sinner (and others) coming together. But the biggest cause for their appearance might be the inevitable prize money.
Yes, the attractive mixed doubles event has witnessed a massive boost in its prize money at the US Open. Do you know how much the winning amount was in 2024’s edition? Only $200,000 for the mixed doubles champion team. However, this season it’s received an increase of 400 percent, being $1 million.
For other Grand Slams, for example, at the upcoming Wimbledon, the winning mixed doubles team will get £135,000 (around $181,504.12). On the other hand, the figure stood at €122,000 (around $140,384.18) at the 2025 French Open earlier this month. The Australian Open, back in January, awarded 175,000 Australian Dollars (around $113,744.72 US Dollars) to the winning pair. Clearly, the move to escalate the mixed doubles prize money for this season’s US Open is to attract big names to play and popularize the format among viewers.
What are your thoughts on the mixed doubles event at the US Open this season? Let us know in the comments below.
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