A revamped mixed doubles tournament featuring tennis singles stars such as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Gael Monfils, Naomi Osaka and Mirra Andreeva will be launched at the 2025 US Open on Tuesday in New York. Matches will be shorter, with a $1 million prize for the winners.
Djokovic, who has teamed up with fellow Serb Olga Danilovic, will take on the all-Russian pair of Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev.
Frenchman Monfils will play with the Japanese former world number one Osaka against Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti and the top seeds Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula will face Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu.
World number one Jannik Sinner who was due to link up with Katerina Siniakova, pulled out on Tuesday after he retired from the Cincinnati Masters final on Monday night due to illness.
Second seeds Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina will try to oust defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori who, as the only specialist doubles pair, received a wildcard – invitation – to play in the event because of their low rankings as singles players.
Errani and Vavassori hit out at what they called a profound injustice for their doubles circuit contemporaries when US Open bosses announced the reconfiguration of the mixed doubles in February.
"It is a pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show," they said.
"Making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations."
'History and tradition'
A mixed doubles tournament has been held at the US Open since 1887. During the 1960s and 1970s eminent singles players such as Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase took part in the event.
Thirty-two teams have competed over five rounds for the crown since 1973. But as the strains of singles tournaments have increased, fewer major stars have played and the tournament has become the arena for the circuit's doubles technicians.
For the 2025 iteration, the field will be cut to 16 teams and played over two days during the qualifying rounds for the men's and women's singles tournaments on the two main show courts of Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.
US Open organisers also tweaked the rules.
To notch up a set, a team must win four games instead of six by a two-game difference. And to claim a game, a deciding point will be played at deuce (three points each) instead of via the "advantage point" whereby if both players are at deuce, they can only seal the game from "advantage".
Tiebreaks will be contested at 4-4 instead of 6-6. Third sets will continue to be decided by a 10-point match tiebreak – a system that has been deployed in the mixed doubles at the US Open since 2003.
For the final, though, the number of games needed to pocket each set will revert to six with a two-game difference. If necessary, a 10-point match tiebreak will operate as the third set.
Big names
In February, Lew Sherr, the US Tennis Association's then chief executive, justified the innovation. "The rescheduling will enable more fans worldwide to enjoy the thrill of watching their favourite stars compete for this coveted title," he insisted.
"The way to do that is to have the biggest names in the sport participating in doubles, and to showcase them teaming up and playing in a different format we think is exciting."
His projections appear to have been borne out with 21 of the 32 players in the mixed doubles draw in the singles top 20.
But the overhaul came under fire from one of the players denied a payday at a tournament that will offer record €77 million prize money in 2025.
Ellen Perez, who has reached the last eight in the mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam tournament venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York, lambasted the change.
"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," railed the 29-year-old Australian on social media.
Polish doubles specialist Jan Zielinski echoed her fury. The 28-year-old claimed the Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles crowns in 2024 with Hsieh Su-wei but was not among the guests when an initial entry list was published in June.
“I guess winning two grand slams in mixed doubles in one year is not enough to get an invitation to US Open ‘exhibition’ event,” he said on social media.
Making it fair
"Thanks for taking away the opportunity to compete and making it fair to everyone."
Third seeds Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek will take on home town duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe while fourth seeds Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune will open against the second all-American pair in the shape of Ben Shelton and and Taylor Townsend.
The third set of locals – Reilly Opelka and Venus Williams – will start their campaign with a match against Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev.
The quarter-final ties will also be played on Tuesday with the semi and final taking place on Wednesday.
Last year, Errani and Vavassori each took home $100,000 for their efforts over five rounds at the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre at Flushing Meadows.
Should they emerge victorious this year after four matches, they will pocket $500,000 each.
