This year’s US Open will witness a complete overhaul of the Mixed Doubles category. How? Top singles ATP and WTA stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka have signed up to compete in pairs. What an amazing sight for fans it will be, right? But for doubles specialists? Not so much. Remember how Andre Vavassori, the reigning US Open mixed doubles winner alongside Sara Errani, had a strong reaction to the event flipping the format this season? “We see it as a profound injustice that disrespect an entire category of players… Put money above tennis is never a good idea,” he wrote on social media. While Vavassori didn’t mince words, several other players have now also chimed in on this matter. However, not all of them are pointing fingers directly at the organizers.

Take, for example, this year’s grass major champion and doubles star Katerina Siniakova. The Czechian won the mixed doubles title at the 2025 Wimbledon last week with Dutchman Sam Verbeek. They defeated the pair of Luisa Stefani and Joe Salisbury in a tiebreak battle with a scorelineof 7-6(3), 7-6(3). After capturing 10 doubles slam trophies, Siniakova won her maiden mixed doubles major title. For Verbeek, it was his first-ever slam triumph. Last year, Siniakova also clinched the women’s doubles trophy at the All England Club with America’s Taylor Townsend. Considering her ongoing success in doubles and now mixed doubles, one can simply assume she will also make the cut to the star-studded lineup at the US Open next month, right? Well…

During an interaction with Tennis Channel’s team, Siniakova presented an uncertain picture of the chances of her appearance in the Mixed Doubles Madness in New York. Her entry is yet to be finalized. So far, only the bigger names from the singles category have been announced (to attract more eyeballs, obviously). The full list of competing pairs will be confirmed by July 29. Eight teams with combined singles rankings and the remaining eight through a Wildcard entry. Reading the entire situation, Czechia had a subtle yet strong take on the possibilities of her participation. Yes, she’s coming off a Wimbledon victory last week but it won’t ensure her a ticket to the US Open. When asked to rate how much she will be surprised, on a scale of 0 to 10 if she’s not included in the mixed doubles roster, Siniakova simply replied, “Well, I think I would keep it on five.”

She concluded her limited response, saying, “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if I won’t get it, actually. So yeah, I just keep it like this.” On the other hand, there are some notable figures who believe that the doubles format will get a massive boost due to singles players appearing during the Mixed Doubles Madness at the US Open. Take for example, Andy Roddick.

Per the 2003 US Open champion, the upcoming overhaul at the US Open will put focus back on the doubles game. Especially at a time when there’s hardly any engagement from fans. “I was all for this coz people were like, ‘Oh, we have to grow the game of doubles.’ So you can’t take that away from a doubles that people don’t watch regularly. And that was confusing to me.”  However, now “you get nine out of the top ten on each side, biggest stars on Earth and then some. This is going to bring more eyeballs to the game of doubles.”

Yes, he admitted that several ‘Specialist’ mixed doubles players may lose their jobs. “But if your net-net most important thing, which is the defense that I get when people get 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.” For him, it’s simply going to be the “All-Star game for tennis.” Speaking of stars, there’s no bigger name than Carlos Alcaraz at the moment. After proving his mettle in singles encounters, riding high on the French Open win and a great Wimbledon campaign where he reached the finals, the Spaniard is set to entertain the crowd with a very special partner. She’s none other than British pro Emma Raducanu.

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu to team up at the US Open

Yes, you read it correctly. Five-time slam winner Alcaraz will step on the American hard court with the 2021 US Open queen, Emma Raducanu. Last month, the organizers made it official with a big announcement. “The US Open has long strived to find innovative and new ways to make the game more accessible and entertaining for our fans,” said the tournament director, Stacey Allaster.

“We believe that this reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship will do exactly that, with the top men and women players in tennis competing side-by-side in a fast-paced, highly competitive format.”

Speaking of Alcaraz and Raducanu, they are both excited to team up in New York. Last month, the Brit admired the Spaniard, saying, “He’s so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around.” Returning the favors, Alcaraz also came up with a sweet gesture of appreciation for his doubles partner.

When Raducanu posed him a question asking, “I would like to know how much of the court he can cover in New York,” the former World No.1 humbly replied, “I’m just gonna serve and I’m gonna pull myself away and I let her play. She will cover a lot of the court.” He confirmed it, saying, “She will be the boss. I will do whatever she wants me to do. That’s it.”

Interestingly, this year’s mixed doubles event at the US Open will also witness a massive boost in prize money. The champion team will end up pocketing $1 million. It’s a whopping jump of 400 percent compared to last season’s figure of $200,000. What do you have to say about the format’s transition at the US Open in 2025? Let us know in the comments below.