Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka’s mixed doubles debut together just got considerably harder in the most unexpected manner. Due to Frances Tiafoe dealing with his own physical ordeal after a final run in Cincinnati, Leylah Fernandez and the American have taken themselves out of the mixed doubles draw, and the replacement opponents waiting in their place can prove to be more dangerous.

Sabalenka and Djokovic open their campaign against Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, arguably the No. 1 seeds of the tournament. Because the US Open mixed doubles event ranks teams by combined singles ranking, the Belarusian and Serbian sit as the No. 1 seeds. Otherwise, the story would have been different. 

But in true doubles terms, the numbers are just the opposite. Siniakova is a career Golden Slam winner in women’s doubles, a 12-time Grand Slam doubles champion who has spent 180 weeks at world No. 1. Patten is the current ATP doubles world No. 1 alongside partner Harri Heliovaara, a pairing that has won 12 titles together including three Grand Slams, two Masters 1000 titles and an ATP Finals crown. 

Remarkably, both Siniakova and Patten had to come through qualifying, defeating Valentin Vacherot and Tatjana Maria 4-1, 4-2, followed by another win over American duo Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison in similar fashion. This earned them a place in the main draw, where Sabalenka and Djokovic were handed the top seed by default. 

The pairing itself has been months in the making. Sabalenka first floated the idea back in January, joking at the Australian Open that she was still waiting for Djokovic to send her “that long message… how I’m his dream partner,” a reference to the pair’s only previous outing together, a charity exhibition on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the 2024 Australian Open. The wait ended this month, with Sabalenka confirming in Cincinnati that Djokovic had come to her directly. 

“He was begging me to play with him,” she said, laughing. “I said, ‘You know what… Of course, legend, I’ll help you out. Let’s try to have fun and go for the title.'” 

Djokovic’s form is not the best heading into the encounter as he lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante in the Cincinnati second round, a match in which he visibly struggled physically.

Sabalenka, on the other hand, also comes at the back of defeat against Sara Bejlek in the round of 16 at Cincinnati, leaving both partners to rely on the mixed doubles event to regain confidence.

A draw that only gets tougher from here

Beyond the pedigree of Siniakova and Patten, there is little solace in Sabalenka and Djokovic’s route through the rest of the draw. If they manage to survive the first round, they would either face Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils or Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals. Thinking too far ahead, there could be a potential blockbuster waiting in the semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams. 

The event itself is played the week before the singles main draw kicks off, from August 24-26, with a four-game format and no-ad scoring, as the tournament tries to lure as many of the sport’s top singles players into doubles as it can. Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who beat Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in last year’s final, are also back to defend their title, while Swiatek and Ruud have withdrawn at the last moment, with the Polish managing her workload before the singles draw. 

For Sabalenka and Djokovic, though, the tournament’s opening test alone now looks like one of the toughest matches either will play this week. If they manage to pass this test, the rest of the week should be a much easier journey for them, but it looks unlikely.