Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori clinched the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles title, defeating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final. Off the court, Coco Gauff stirred headlines after parting ways with coach Matt Daly, skipping the two-day event, and sparking controversy. Yet, her former coach Brad Gilbert chose not to comment on her situation, instead applauding the US Open’s new Mixed Doubles initiative.

It’s worth noting that the US Open also garnered quite a bit of negative attention for revamping the Mixed Doubles. For starters, even singles players can now form teams and enter the tournament. And as per the new format for the Mixed Doubles final, the first three rounds will be best-of-three-set contests. Each set will be played to four games, and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a third set. On top of that, all the matches will use no-ad scoring. And the men will serve to men, and women will serve to women on the sudden-death point. 

Gilbert believed that these new rules were the reason for the success of the tournament. After all, more than 20,000 fans filled Arthur Ashe Stadium to capacity. Taking to X, Gauff’s former coach wrote, “The fact that there’s a full crowd tonight is a massive win, kudos to [US Open] on the new format.” He even praised the finalist, Vavassori, in a separate X post. Gilbert pointed out, “The Italians were so good in Mixxed and both exceptional at the net especially Vavassori was off the charts good.”

Brad Gilbert’s praise for the newly revamped Mixed Doubles tournament offered a symbolic validation, while many others criticized the US Open’s move. The doubles veterans felt excluded, and some even called it an ‘exhibition’. Nevertheless, the event succeeded in being a crowd-pleaser. And who knows… this might become a blueprint for modernizing the Grand Slam doubles. 

But for now, let’s refocus on Coco Gauff. Despite her success at the China Open, the WTA Finals, and winning her second Grand Slam at the 2025 French Open, Gauff struggled at Wimbledon and was forced to exit the tournament in the first round. She witnessed a dip in her form as she struggled with her serve, along with 42 double faults at the Canadian Open. She fired Daly because of this dip. 

But do you know what made her stay away from the Mixed Doubles, despite being a former finalist in the event? Let’s find out! 

Why did Coco Gauff opt out of the US Open Mixed Doubles?

Standing tall on her decision to stay out of this season’s US Open Mixed Doubles, Coco Gauff stated, “Yeah, the thing with that, it’s like an interesting situation because obviously I’m not a mixed doubles player. Some rely on that income. Yeah, it’s an event that’s been there forever. On the other hand I know they’re trying to get more singles players involved, maybe grow the sport, grow that aspect of the sport. For me personally, I most likely won’t be participating just because it’s not a great time for me.” 

According to Gauff, participating in the Mixed Doubles would have taken valuable time from her. She intended to use this time to prepare for the US Open Singles, commencing from 24 August. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Gauff doesn’t like playing a doubles tournament. She does find it interesting. But she believed that it takes away some opportunities from the athletes. 

Gauff continued, “It’s one of those things that I feel like I have to wait and see how it pans out over time, pans out after it happens and see how it can affect the sport in the whole. But yeah, I probably won’t be participating just because the timing isn’t a good time for me. I did like playing the tiebreak set last year that Ben [Shelton] and I did. That was a great alternative to do both.”

Now, the US Open Mixed Doubles’ two-day program is on the verge of conclusion. And we can look forward to watching Coco Gauff in the singles tournament. But can she claim a win at the event, given that she now has a new coach? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.