This year’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden is set to commence on Sunday. With some of the biggest names in the sport expected to compete, it’s once again shaping up to be one of the marquee stops on the tennis calendar. And among the major talking points this year is the prize money on offer for mixed doubles.

According to the reports, Indian Wells has nearly tripled the purse for 2026, boosting it to $1 million. That’s a major jump from $370,000 in 2025 and $150,000 in 2024.

The mixed double prize purse is designed to attract more top singles players to compete in the mixed doubles draw. However, with this, the tournament made significant reductions in regular singles and doubles events.

It’s a strategy that mirrors what the US Open did in 2025. That event also offered $1 million to its mixed doubles champions, a move that successfully drew in star power from both tours. Big names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Naomi Osaka all took part, proving that a bigger purse can bring some of the sport’s brightest stars to the court.

More so, instead of being played alongside the singles and traditional doubles main draw, the US Open mixed doubles was moved to the tournament’s first week, known as Fan Week.

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Matches were even staged inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium. While the new format brought more attention to the event, it didn’t sit well with everyone.

The 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles scrutinized over revamped structure

Last year, when the US Open mixed doubles event was revamped at the US Open, reactions were split. While some welcomed the fresh approach, others took issue with what they saw as an unconventional shift away from tradition.

Kristina Mladenovic, a former world No. 1 in doubles and a nine-time Grand Slam champion across doubles and mixed doubles, didn’t hold back. She called it “embarrassing” to hear players say they were “going to have fun” at the event as preparation for the main singles draw.

“A Grand Slam is neither preparation nor fun,” she told Eurosport. “It’s years of sacrifice. When you’re young, you dream of winning one, even in doubles.”

At the time of the announcement, defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori described the format change as a “profound injustice,” although they have since received a wildcard to defend their 2024 title.

Two-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion Jan Zielinski was also among those who voiced criticism. The revamped format cut the field in half, reducing the number of teams from 32 to 16. Of those 16 pairs, eight qualified based on singles rankings, while the remaining eight spots were allocated via wildcards.

Now, as the

BNP Paribas Open rolls out its revamped prize money structure, all eyes will be on how the changes play out once the tournament gets underway.