The US Open turned mixed doubles into a standalone made-for-TV event in 2025, moving it out of the regular Grand Slam draw and into its own two-day window before the main tournament starts. The new version runs on shortened rules — best-of-three, four-game sets, no-ad scoring, a 10-point tiebreak instead of a third set — and leans on star power: this year's 16-team field, playing today at Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe stadiums and Wednesday's final at Ashe, includes Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic as the top seeds, plus Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz on a wild card. The winning team splits $1 million, a 20% raise from last year after organizers worried top stars might skip the event without more money on the table.

1. Doubles Specialists Say This Isn't Really Their Tournament Anymore (Errani, Vavassori, Cornet)

Career doubles players say the redesign turned their discipline into a sideshow for singles stars.

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori called the format change "a profound injustice." The Italian pair, career doubles specialists, posted a joint statement in February 2025 saying the new event "disrespect[s] an entire category of players" and amounts to "a pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show."

Their real complaint: "Putting money above tennis is never a good idea." That line, from the same statement, gets at what bothers them most — the USTA is restructuring a Grand Slam title around TV ratings and star wattage instead of the sport.

Alizé Cornet renewed the criticism as this year's event opened. The retired French pro said today, "Why don't they just make it an exhibition? We don't have to mix everything. This is really about making money," arguing the format shortchanges players who make their living from doubles.

Even the actual champions almost didn't get back in. Errani and Vavassori won the inaugural event, beating Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud in the final, but they're the only traditional doubles team in this year's 16-team field, and they needed a wild card to defend their own title. Two other career doubles teams, Kateřina Siniaková/Henry Patten and Gabriela Dabrowski/Harri Heliövaara, didn't get one — the USTA routed them to qualifying instead.

Other doubles specialists are backing them up. Ellen Perez, an Australian doubles pro and six-time mixed doubles Grand Slam quarterfinalist, posted: "Tell us that you think doubles players are trash, that tradition is over-rated and job opportunity is a thing of the past without actually saying it." Jan Zieliński, the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed doubles champion, posted that there was "no communication with the players" and "no respect to the history and traditions" of the event. Five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Paul McNamee put it bluntest: "The US Open now will not produce a bona fide mixed doubles winner." Former champion Laura Siegemund has called it a "showevent" rather than real competition.

2. The USTA Says This Is Mixed Doubles Getting the Spotlight It Never Had (Lew Sherr)

Organizers point to sold-out stadiums as proof the redesign is working.

Lew Sherr calls this elevating doubles, not diminishing it. The USTA's chief executive said moving the event to Arthur Ashe puts mixed doubles "on the centre stage," letting fans worldwide "enjoy the thrill of watching their favourite stars compete for this coveted Grand Slam Championship title," and called it a way to put "an even greater focus on the incredible talent we have across the sport."

The numbers backed him up in year one. Arthur Ashe Stadium, close to 24,000 seats, sold out both nights in 2025, with roughly 78,000 fans attending the event overall and another 20,000 watching free from Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Organizers are doubling down, not backing off. The 2026 prize pool went up 20% specifically to keep top stars committed after chatter that some might skip the event otherwise — a sign the USTA is betting on more star power, not less.

3. The Stars Playing In It Say It's Good for the Sport (Taylor Fritz)

The players organizers courted are largely glad to be there.

Taylor Fritz says the format's draw is the point. He said the new setup makes him more likely to play because "people will be more excited to watch it with the top singles players playing together." Organizers originally paired him with Elena Rybakina, but she withdrew with an ankle injury from Cincinnati this month, so Fritz is playing instead with Jessica Pegula.

The field itself makes his case. This year's 16 teams include seven of the top 10 WTA-ranked women and six of the top 10 ATP-ranked men — a level of star turnout the old draw-based format never came close to.

Where This Lands

Doubles specialists say the US Open swapped a real Grand Slam title for a made-for-TV exhibition, and that the players who actually built careers on the discipline are now competing for wild cards into their own event. The USTA and the singles stars who signed up say sold-out stadiums and a stacked field are exactly what elevating doubles looks like. The Australian Open has said it has no plans to copy the model.

Sources