Huge Changes to US Open Mixed Doubles Format

[Robert F]

In person, I enjoy both doubles and mixed. On TV, not on a dare.

What do you feel is missing when it goes to TV versus in person?
In singles sometimes you can't appreciate the speed or height of the ball when watching TV. Also hard to see how fast these guys really are until you are in person.
Similar for you for dubs?

 

[Moose Malloy]

It's been reduced to an exhibition and is not a slam worthy event. Very, very sad. USTA has got to be kidding. The people behind this exhibition pretending to be a serious slam tournament need to resign.

It's funny, one of the guys behind this is Eric Butorac, who was a doubles specialist(never even ranked top 1000 in singles!). He's director of Pro Tennis Operations and Player Relations for the USTA. He was on Roddick's podcast defending this decision.

Also saw Jack Sock on a podcast, who regularly played mixed(he even won the USO mixed in 2011, and the Olympics mixed in 2016), saying that this is a great idea cause no one cares about mixed. And he said he hoped he could get a wildcard

 

[BumElbow]

It's funny, one of the guys behind this is Eric Butorac, who was a doubles specialist(never even ranked top 1000 in singles!). He's director of Pro Tennis Operations and Player Relations for the USTA. He was on Roddick's podcast defending this decision.

Also saw Jack Sock on a podcast, who regularly played mixed(he even won the USO mixed in 2011, and the Olympics mixed in 2016), saying that this is a great idea cause no one cares about mixed. And he said he hoped he could get a wildcard

Defending champs Vavassori and Errani voiced disapproval for the new format. Retired Sock wants to participate - more evidence that it's an exhibition. The new abbreviated format is a disgrace. It's held on a Tuesday and a Wednesday - since when is a Slam final held on a Wednesday? And, it's being held during qualies week. It's not part of the real tournament. It's a disgrace.

 

[RSJfan]

What do you feel is missing when it goes to TV versus in person?
In singles sometimes you can't appreciate the speed or height of the ball when watching TV. Also hard to see how fast these guys really are until you are in person.
Similar for you for dubs?

I don’t find the two experiences (TV and in-person) to have anything to do with each other. Watching doubles, outside on a nice day maybe with a drink and the company of people you enjoy, sitting close enough to hear the exchanges between the players is fun. Watching doubles on TV is not close to the same experience and I’m not into it.

 

[Robert F]

It's funny, one of the guys behind this is Eric Butorac, who was a doubles specialist(never even ranked top 1000 in singles!). He's director of Pro Tennis Operations and Player Relations for the USTA. He was on Roddick's podcast defending this decision.

Also saw Jack Sock on a podcast, who regularly played mixed(he even won the USO mixed in 2011, and the Olympics mixed in 2016), saying that this is a great idea cause no one cares about mixed. And he said he hoped he could get a wildcard

I got the feeling the Butorac is hoping this will create more opportunity for doubles and felt it was worth the blow to dubs specialist in the short run to generate interest. Looks like US Open also increasing men's and women's dubs prize money.
I was amazed that all the guys on Nothing Major were fully behind it. Just shows how the top singles guys like many fans are singles focused and giving the opportunity for singles to get invovled is a great idea.

As I continue to mull over this, I really think the best thing for doubles would be to combine the dubs and singles points into one system.
Yeah more of the singles guys might steal some slots from the dub specialists, and some of the higher ranked dubs guys might play some singles they couldn't get into with just their singles points.
But, most of the singles guys will still prioritize singles unless prize money for dubs goes up substantially. Still leaving slots in dubs for the dubs specialists, they just might not always be as highly seeded a some singles guys will bump them up.

 

[RSJfan]

If they give a WC to Chipotle Jack I think pretending this is a real tournament goes down the drain. At least limit it to active tennis players. Or swing for the fences and try to get Agassi and Graf and FEDR and Mirka. In fact, maybe just turn it into a mixed doubles pickleball event.

 

[vsbabolat]

Opelka doesn’t sell a single ticket either. But you need a full draw to play a tournament. Doubles and mixed fill the schedules during slams. People absolutely watch both. And if there is a top (or clown) player it definitely draws. For broadcast purposes it doesn’t draw at all but, again, neither does Opelka.

PS, really should provide a reputable source if you’re quoting people.

I’ve seen that quote before from Opelka. He’s an idiot that doesn’t sell a ticket like you say and if didn’t have his height and serve he wouldn’t have a game

 

[RSJfan]

“I’d like to play. I believe it’s like two-days’ event. I always enjoy playing doubles. It’s like little fun sort of exhibition," Sabalenka said last week in Dubai.”

Sabalenka spills the beans.

Stefanos Tstisipas confirms plans for US Open mixed doubles with Paula Badosa | Tennis.com

The couple are the latest high-profile players to confirm they want to compete.

www.tennis.com

 

[Robert F]

“I’d like to play. I believe it’s like two-days’ event. I always enjoy playing doubles. It’s like little fun sort of exhibition," Sabalenka said last week in Dubai.”

Sabalenka spills the beans.

Stefanos Tstisipas confirms plans for US Open mixed doubles with Paula Badosa | Tennis.com

The couple are the latest high-profile players to confirm they want to compete.

www.tennis.com

So now a grand slam title is based on how cute of a couple you are?

 

[Enceladus]

“I’d like to play. I believe it’s like two-days’ event. I always enjoy playing doubles. It’s like little fun sort of exhibition," Sabalenka said last week in Dubai.”

Sabalenka spills the beans.

Stefanos Tstisipas confirms plans for US Open mixed doubles with Paula Badosa | Tennis.com

The couple are the latest high-profile players to confirm they want to compete.

www.tennis.com

Aryna put a crown on it. This competition is a farce and has no business at the Grand Slam.

 

[LeftyMagic]

The last time doubles was a big deal at the slams was the the 1980s. You can see packed stands for the USO men's doubles finals with Mac, Edberg, Noah, Leconte etc playing specialists like Flach Seguso etc. Then in the 90s you see virtually no one watching finals with Woodies or Eltingh/Haaruis(and none of those guys were bad at singles, they were all in draws of singles as well). And then you got Nestor/Knowles/Paes etc and it got even worse. I remember Cliff Drysdale saying around 2000 in an interview online that anytime they showed doubles on ESPN, virtually every TV tuned in would switch the channel.

The ATP tried to basically eliminate doubles specialists around 2005(only allowing singles players into doubles draw), but the Bryan brothers sued and they backed down. They did go along with changing the scoring system to no ad and super TB in place of 3rd set in 2006. Originally ATP wanted to have only 5 game sets, but they caved on that after the lawsuit.

So really, doubles specialists have been a bit lucky the last 20 years to get a stay of execution in essence, not really surprised there eventually would be more changes(if this USO experiment with mixed doubles works, you can bet other slams will follow(I think attendance for doubles at RG is probably the worst of all the slams, they will be next I'm sure).

BBC SPORT | Tennis | Doubles players drop legal action

and yet its exciting for laver cup and davis cup. could it be a marketing and image issue? maybe ppl dont understand it. or why its a legit event? its fairly difficult to go from 0 to top 100 in doubles. i should be clear though im talking abt just atp doubles specifically.

 

[LeftyMagic]

At last year's IW, we watched the Layla Fernandez Diane Parry match. It was painfully long, even though I like both players. As soon as Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks came on, the energy in the stadium was electric. Granollers/Zeballos smashed them in straights, but it was amazing to watch in person.

exactly. atp doubles is legit

 

[Moose Malloy]

In other news the Mixed Dubs invitational event from last year is returning to Indian Wells

BNP Paribas Open Mixed Doubles Invitational

The BNP Paribas Open Mixed Doubles Invitational returns in 2027, continuing the momentum from its debut at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open. That first year marked the

bnpparibasopen.com

last year it was pretty much only dubs specialists entered

2024 BNP Paribas Open – Mixed doubles - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

IW mixed doubles starts today. This year they attracted Rublev and Ruud(guess they'd rather stick around here instead of going to Miami). And normal dubs scoring, unlike USO

BNP Paribas Open Mixed Doubles Invitational

The BNP Paribas Open Mixed Doubles Invitational returns in 2027, continuing the momentum from its debut at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open. That first year marked the

bnpparibasopen.com

 

[Moose Malloy]

Errani/Vavassori won the mixed at IW. Shame they may not be allowed to defend their USO title this year. They got 100k for winning IW, not bad for just 3 matches(they won 200k for winning 5 matches at USO)

Italians Errani And Vavassori Take Home 2nd Annual Mixed Doubles Invitational Title

The sun — and doubles fans — were shining on Stadium 3 for Friday’s second annual BNP Paribas Open Mixed Doubles Invitational final in Tennis Paradise. The 12-t

bnpparibasopen.com

 

[RSJfan]

Errani/Vavassori won the mixed at IW. Shame they may not be allowed to defend their USO title this year. They got 100k for winning IW, not bad for just 3 matches(they won 200k for winning 5 matches at USO)…

I believe the USTA stated that half the field will be entered based on rankings so I assume that gives them a good chance to get in. Their USO finals match last year was a unticketed match that drew a very small crowd almost all of who were there for Townsend and Young. The reality — which the USTA understands— is it would improve mixed attendance if they are replaced by a team of popular singles players though the USTA will only go so far as to replace half the field so it can maintain the illusion that it’s not an Exo.

 

[Robert F]

I believe the USTA stated that half the field will be entered based on rankings so I assume that gives them a good chance to get in. Their USO finals match last year was a unticketed match that drew a very small crowd almost all of who were there for Townsend and Young. The reality — which the USTA understands— is it would improve mixed attendance if they are replaced by a team of popular singles players though the USTA will only go so far as to replace half the field so it can maintain the illusion that it’s not an Exo.

Yes, but SINGLES ranking points for 1/2 the draw and wild cards for the other half.

 

[RSJfan]

Yes, but SINGLES ranking points for 1/2 the draw and wild cards for the other half.

I guess they’ll need a WC.

 

[Robert F]

I would've preferred 3/4 based on doubles rankings and 1/4 WC.
And a reasonable compromise would be 1/3 dubs rankings, 1/3 singles rankigns and 1/3 wild cards.
But they basically threw all the dubs players out.

 

[diggler]

https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2025-06-17/team_entries_announced_for_2025_us_open_mixed_doubles_championship.html

A blockbuster lineup of star-studded teams have officially entered into the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship for 2025. This unprecedented list of star entrants for Mixed Doubles—including nine of the world’s Top-10 women and nine of the world’s Top-10 men—makes mixed doubles at the 2025 US Open a must-attend Championship event. The competition will take place during US Open Fan Week on Tuesday, Aug. 19, and Wednesday, Aug. 20, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with $1 million in prize money being awarded to the winning team.

The entry list for the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship includes the following teams (listed by combined singles ranking):

• Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner
• Zheng Qinwen and Jack Draper
• Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul
• Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti
• Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
• Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev
• Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe
• Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov
• Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
• Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas
• Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz
• Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
• Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
• Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
• Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
• Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios

 

[ey039524]

How many will actually show up when it's time?

I like Taylor Townsend and whomever she partners to win it.

 

[Robert F]

Based on all the top singles talent jumping in, seems very unlikely that many of the main dubs players will get in. Maybe Townsend and Errani??
I just hope it doesn't cruise into exo land.
The super shortened format, running the draw in 2 days, is really convenient for the stars, but is it really fan friendly?
If you are an out of towner wanting to go to the open, are you going to go during qualy week to watch the stars play a 35 minute match?
Or do you show up in week 1 of the main tournament draw where you will be overloaded with quality tennis options?
Sure if you live in the NY metro area, I could see dropping in on this one day then the following week watching some quality singles.

 

[Mark Anderson]

C'mon man its mixed doubles. The players get no points, additionally they are increasing the prize money. When you buy a ticket to the US open, does Mixed doubles ever cross your mind?

It depends on how I'm feeling.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

It's MIXED doubles which 90% of tennis fans don't care about. This will create interest. The doubles specialists will still be competing in Mens and Womens doubles.

 

[Sudacafan]

It's MIXED doubles which 90% of tennis fans don't care about. This will create interest. The doubles specialists will still be competing in Mens and Womens doubles.

OK, but doubles specialists have been robbed regardless. They should sue the ATP and the WTA in a class action.

 

[onehandbh]

I’ve been attending tournaments for decades and never been interested in watching a mixed doubles match. I probably watch 1-2 doubles matches for every 8-10 singles matches at tournaments. On TV, I almost never watch doubles except the occasional Slam final. I could be considered a serious tennis fan as I watch tennis on TV about 20 weeks a year and play tennis daily. So if people like me don’t have much interest in being entertained by pro doubles, I guess the casual fans probably want to watch it even less.

It is hard for tournaments to spend a lot of resources on mixed doubles if enough fans don’t show interest to keep it financially viable.

I used to watch more pro tennis doubles when I was a kid. Back when many of the top singles players also played doubles.

Nowadays, it has almost become two different events. There are many doubles specialists who were not good enough to be in the top 300/500/700 in singles.

 

[onehandbh]

I’ve seen that quote before from Opelka. He’s an idiot that doesn’t sell a ticket like you say and if didn’t have his height and serve he wouldn’t have a game

Furthermore, how many fans want to use a racquet/shoe/clothing because Opelka uses and/or wears it?

 

[Sudacafan]

Furthermore, how many fans want to use a racquet/shoe/clothing because Opelka uses and/or wears it?

I asked my barber for his same haircut, but he declined.

 

[Sudacafan]

So now a grand slam title is based on how cute of a couple you are?

As it should always have been.
I hate mixed doubles couples lacking chemistry.

 

[onehandbh]

I asked my barber for his same haircut, but he declined.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

OK, but doubles specialists have been robbed regardless. They should sue the ATP and the WTA in a class action.

Or, get better at singles.

 

[Sudacafan]

Or, get better at singles.

That’s not possible, that’s why they do doubles.

 

[Robert F]

The past several years I've been enjoying doubles more and more. When I go to Cincy watching the dubs is a great compliment to all the singles. I'm amazed that more pros don't get beamed at the net the way they are crushing the ball. With streaming services and TC and TNT showing more dubs live, it has been some of my favorite things to watch.

So I'm worried this new format will push dubs in the wrong direction and make it more exo like than the positive direction it has been picking up the past 6 months or so in a way that is more in line with the traditional game.

 

[diggler]

Maybe this should be renamed the mixed invitational. They could run the regular mixed doubles during the main tournament as usual with the paltry prizemoney it deserves.

 

[diggler]

Apparently Sinner has never spoken to Navarro and he got matched up by the organisers.

They should have some entries based on doubles rank and some based on singles rank. The doubles specialists will get to prove themselves against the superstars.