The 2025 US Open will commence on August 24, and hence, we’re almost 65 days away from getting things started in New York. However, there is already a lot of buzz surrounding this tournament in the tennis world. Reason? Nine of the top 10 players from both the ATP and WTA will take part in the mixed doubles event this year. Some of the biggest names who have already put their names on that list include Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Jessica Pegula, Ben Shelton, Novak Djokovic, and many more.

The mixed doubles tournament will be held on August 19-20. Talking about this initiative, the USTA said that the goal is to drive greater awareness of this storied competition, giving fans both in attendance and across the globe to witness some of the biggest stars playing side-by-side. There have been various reactions coming in about this new move, and guess what? Now ex-pros have something to say about Sabalenka’s new mixed doubles partner…

Aryna Sabalenka is all set to take part in this iconic mixed doubles event alongside her compatriot, Grigor Dimitrov. Although the women’s world number one has been in red-hot form this season, winning three titles already, Dimitrov has been far from his best this season. He is yet to win a title this year and has a win-loss record of just 14-10. Seeing this partnership, former American tennis players Sam Querrey, John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock shared their thoughts on seeing Sabalenka team up with the former world number three to play in this event. What did they say?

While sharing his views on this in the recent episode of the Nothing Major Podcast, Isner said, “I think I’m going to hold that team back.” Hearing this, Querrey chimed in saying, “That’s what I think too, I feel like she..no offense to Grigor but I feel like Sabalenka could have done a little better.” But who, according to them, could be a perfect match for Sabalenka for this mixed doubles event? John Isner quickly added, “Ben Shelton.”

Replying to that, Johnson said, “That would be a nasty team.” Ben Shelton has been quite impressive this season, and his best record at the US Open was reaching the SF in 2023. So, he knows this surface more than anyone else.

Seeing his incredible performance at the French Open this year, American legend John McEnroe called him a “sophomore“. His rise has been a story worth mentioning. Flare of Shelton with the experience of Sabalenka, it would have been a treat to watch at the US Open, isn’t it?

However, Jack Sack added one more name! He said that even Carlos Alcaraz would’ve also done well with someone like Sabalenka. But Alcaraz has been slotted alongside Emma Raducanu, while Shelton will play with two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Taylor Townsend. This new thing at the US Open has drawn mixed reactions in the tennis world. For example, players like Alcaraz claimed, “She’s going to be the boss! I’m super excited about it. It’s going to be great (to partner with Raducanu).” America’s Taylor Fritz was also heard showcasing his excitement for the same. However, on the other side, things have been a bit different!

The two-time mixed double champion, Jan Zielinski, took a subtle jibe at the USTA by saying, “Thanks for taking away the opportunity to compete and making it fair to everyone 🤝@usta @usopen.” Others like Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori claimed that the new event is more like a “pseudo-exhibition.“

However, amid all these, there has been a lot of excitement among the fans to see Alcaraz team up with Raducanu, and then Ben Shelton partnering with his long-time friend, Taylor Townsend. Talking about the American duo, they have been their biggest supporters in thick and thin. Let’s take a glimpse of their camaraderie.

Ben Shelton shares a very close bond with his compatriot Taylor Townsend

Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend had reached the SF of the mixed doubles event at the 2023 US Open, and during that time, they were seen engaging in several funny moments during their matches. Recalling some of those moments, Shelton had said, “This is the most fun we’ve had on the tennis court in a while.” So, that was the initiation of their unique camaraderie.

Later on, at the 2024 Miami Open, Taylor Townsend was spotted copying Ben Shelton’s iconic ‘dial-up’ celebration. “You know, me and Ben had some really awesome ones when we were playing with each other. I mean, his little phone thing is super swaggy. I love that,” said Townsend. Even during the Canadian Open in that same year, the WTA star was seen repeating a similar situation. Other than that, during the BJK Cup, Shelton was seen engaging with Townsend’s little son, Adyn Aubrey, and giving a fist bump to the kid.

In 2024, when Taylor Townsend won her first major title at the doubles event (Wimbledon), Shelton congratulated her through a social media post, captioning, “Yea Tay! @tay_taytownsend.” Even after seeing one of her posts, where she highlighted a few moments of her 2024 US Open campaign, Ben Shelton dropped a comment saying, “U so cold dawg.”

But that’s not the end! This year, when Shelton broke into the Top 10 in the singles ranking, Townsend was among the first ones to shower praise on him by giving him a shoutout on IG. “Proud of you my bro,” she wrote. Do you think Ben Shelton-Taylor Townsend would be a superhit, or partnering with someone like Aryna Sabalenka would have been a better option?