The US Open’s new mixed doubles format has been the talk of the tennis world ever since it was announced, and the buzz still hasn’t died down. The entry list is packed with heavyweights from both the ATP and WTA tours. Think Carlos Alcaraz with Emma Raducanu, Jannik Sinner with Emma Navarro, Aryna Sabalenka with Grigor Dimitrov, and Lorenzo Musetti with Jasmine Paolini. The lineup is star-studded! But while the buzz is still loud, so is the backlash. A former doubles No. 1 has slammed the format for shutting out the real specialists.

To make room for the big names, the tournament organizers slotted the mixed doubles event into Fan Week, right before the main draw kicks off. That’s how they got around the usual scheduling conflicts that keep top singles players away from doubles. Nine of the top ten men and women have signed up, all gunning for the $1 million prize.

Carlos Alcaraz teaming up with Emma Raducanu is easily the most talked-about pairing in the draw. The 22-year-old Spaniard is clearly pumped. “I’m super excited about it,” he said. “I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament. I will try to bring my doubles skills. We will try to win, but obviously it’s going to be really, really fun.”

His comments didn’t sit well with everyone. Former doubles world No. 1 Kristina Mladenovic didn’t hold back when asked about the new format. Speaking to Eurosport France, she criticized the tournament’s direction. The 9-time Grand Slam champion said, “From a sporting perspective, it’s problematic because it touches on the essence of tennis. A Grand Slam is a competition steeped in history. And now, suddenly, the doubles become a super exhibition. There’s no problem organizing such an event, but above all, don’t call it a Grand Slam!”

She didn’t stop there and took aim at the singles players participating. Mladenovic said, “When you hear Alcaraz or other players say they’re going to have fun while preparing for the US Open, it’s embarrassing. A Grand Slam is neither preparation nor fun. It’s years of sacrifice.”

Only 16 teams will compete, and just one of them, French Open champs Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, actually specialize in doubles. That detail hasn’t gone unnoticed.

An American ATP legend has also expressed his mixed feelings about the new mixed doubles format.

American ATP legend accuses Carlos Alcaraz and co of “taking jobs away”

American tennis legend Andy Roddick chimed in with a hot take on his podcast ‘Served with Andy Roddick’.

He said, “Now, is it taking jobs away from doubles players who kind of run this side tour? Yeah, it is. But, if your net, most important thing is – which is the defense that I get when people are mad at me when I talk about doubles – is, ‘We have to grow the game of doubles,’ there is not a better way to grow the game of doubles than to have the biggest stars on earth playing doubles, featured, ESPN prime time, in the lead-up to the US Open.”

But perhaps the most frustrated voice came from Poland’s Jan Zielinski. The two-time mixed doubles champion, who won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2024, was nowhere on the list. He made his feelings about the snub loud and clear on social media. “I guess winning two grand slams in mixed doubles in one year is not enough to get an invitation to US Open ‘exhibition’ event. Thanks for taking away the opportunity to compete and making it fair to everyone 🤝@usta @usopen,” he wrote on X.

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The new format might draw big crowds, but it’s leaving some big names out in the cold. The court may be set, but the debate is far from over. Is the star power of Carlos Alcaraz and co worth sidelining the specialists? What do you think?