If you weren't already aware, or if you hadn't seen all the weird fawning over Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu's new partnership and the media's strange desire to fabricate a relationship there, the US Open made the decision at the start of 2025 to completely overhaul their mixed doubles tournament.
Despite the debate that has been sparked over whether it actually is a good idea or not, I think, unfortunately, the organisers have made the right decision and have probably hit the jackpot, even with the pretty obvious issues that are lingering.
What is the revamped US Open mixed doubles?
The mixed doubles will be moved to the Fan Week prior to the start of the main draw, and will take place on Tuesday, August 19th and Wednesday, August 20th, with a reward of $1 million to the winner.
Fan Week has always been a hugely popular period at the US Open, with players getting involved in little competitions. Last year's edition smashed attendance records, as 216,029 fans entered the gates - a 37% increase from 2023.
The format of matches has drastically changed too. They will be best-of-three sets, with each set going to just four games. There will be no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at four-all, and a 10-point match tiebreak in place of the third set. The final will have sets that are first to six, but everything else remains the same as the previous rounds.
16 teams will take part in the competition, with eight automatically qualifying based on their combined singles rankings, and another eight being awarded a wildcard.
Some of the teams that have been confirmed for the mixed doubles are certainly funky and feel like a 13-year-old's fan fiction. In a way, that is what makes it such an interesting and fun prospect.
World number one Jannik Sinner pairs up with American Emma Navarro, and Iga Swiatek will play alongside Casper Ruud. Jack Draper will be on the same side of the court as Paula Badosa (much to the disappointment of Stefanos Tsitsipas), while Taylor Fritz links up with Elena Rybakina after their previous mixed doubles exploits.
Those are just a handful of the automatically qualified teams, while Serbian stars Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka, Raducanu and Alcaraz, and defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have received wildcards.
Two more wildcards are set to be announced soon, and frankly, I cannot wait to see what they have lined up! I have heard that Bill Ackman is available.
Is it actually... a good idea?
Instantly, there was a lot of backlash. Every single one of us fears change after all.
'Won't somebody please think of the doubles specialists?!'
And it is a fair question. With the new focus on trying to lure big-name singles players to the competition, doubles specialists have lost an opportunity to win a Grand Slam, as well as an avenue to make money.
But unfortunately, that is looking at it purely emotionally and based on feelings. I feel incredibly harsh saying that, as sport is emotional, and it shouldn't be all about crunching the numbers.
But the facts are, people just don't watch doubles. They just aren't attracted to the style of tennis that it produces, and supporters are only really drawn to their favourite singles player. The most excited fans get about doubles is when singles stars team up, like at the Olympic Games or on random occasions when a duo like Serena Williams and Andy Murray decide they want to get involved.
I still remember the incredible excitement that Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz garnered at the Olympics last year. I'm not sure any doubles specialists can ever generate that same thrill.
What is more complicated about mixed doubles is the fact that there aren't really any set teams that rock up to events every week. With men's and women's doubles, there are usually pairings that stick together and you can get behind, but in mixed, it just isn't the case.
I watch a lot of tennis, almost whenever it is on television. So that is pretty much every day, then.
I can say I watch singles 99% of the time and doubles 1% of the time, with mixed making up a healthy 0% of that. I do think that is the same for the majority of tennis fans, too.
Reportedly, of the prize money pot that is available on average every week at tournaments, doubles players receive 20% of that.
From a business point of view, taking all the emotion out of it, it doesn't really make any sense. They are earning a fifth of the prize money, but they're not being watched.
Not wanting to compare doubles to Silly Bandz, but if children's toys were costing lots of money to produce but no one was buying them, they'd just stop being made and be removed from the shelves.
As a result, doubles has been coming under increasing scrutiny.
So the US Open have finally taken action. They have made the dramatic overhaul. And despite the sceptics, the new tournament has been incredibly talked about since the announcement, and a lot of people will tune in, whether it is to watch the world's best players or just to observe how it will pan out.
There is a huge amount of hype around it. The US Open have succeeded in their goal and the promotion is working. It is exciting.
Who doesn't want to see how on earth Sinner and Navarro will get on? They hadn't even uttered a word to each other prior to deciding they'd play doubles together.
Venus will continue her return to tennis in New York, while Djokovic and Draper will use this as a proper warm-up for the singles, having missed Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Fritz - who is a self-proclaimed 'mixed doubles specialist' - seems the most excited and determined to win this competition and has won an Indian Wells exhibition tournament alongside Rybakina before.
Defending champions Errani and Vavassori will surely be unhappy with the revamped tournament and will want to make a statement and prove that a set of meddling singles players can't just come and steal their crown.
Furthermore, I am firmly in the camp that tennis has struggled to promote itself in recent years, with legends of the game like Roger Federer, Nadal and the Williams sisters retiring from the sport.
Tennis was just able to ride off the popularity and greatness of these icons, and didn't really need to try and reach new audiences, because the players were doing it themselves with their seismic gravitational pull.
But with this, they kind of now have their very own 'All-Star break', as seen in the NBA and MLB. I realise that this may sound like 'utter woke nonsense' to some, but as much as I do love tradition, sometimes change and evolution are necessary.
It could end up being a great way to let the personalities of the world's best players shine, while additionally actually bringing more eyes to doubles and perhaps bringing in more fans.
What other option is there?
Look, even with my overall positive outlook on the whole thing, I do have some frustrations with the format, and can acknowledge the qualms that many have. It would be nice if they could balance the draw out a bit and have some more actual doubles specialists.
This is also being labelled an official Grand Slam tournament, despite the fact that half the field are wildcards, and sets are first to four games.
The vibes around it feel slightly more like an exhibition, and in a way, it kind of cheapens the idea of winning a Grand Slam.
But then again, I have heard no one else offer up any other options or good ideas. What else can they do to get a buy-in from the top singles players?
The calendar is already absolutely packed, and the world's best aren't going to participate if the mixed doubles were going on during the singles tournament, or if it were a week-long event.
It could be better, and I would like them to find a way where winning a Slam isn't diminished, but I truly don't know how you can have your cake and eat it too.
Honestly, I could even see a world - should this US Open event go well - where the Australian Open and Roland Garros follow suit.
This isn't a 'death to doubles' article or a hit-piece on doubles specialists. Of course, I have sympathy, but something had to give sooner rather than later.
I am just trying to look at this in as balanced a way as possible, and this seems like an inevitable outcome as doubles struggles to find a secure place in the tennis world.