The US Open mixed doubles event has never been talked about more—and the critics are certainly having their say. The format shake-up caused quite a stir right from the start. As iconic as the new lineup is shaping up to be, the initial reaction was anything but rosy. When the format was announced, even Rennae Stubbs slammed it as an “exhibition.” Yet, with the day getting closer and each lineup reveal, the hype just keeps climbing! But Katerina Siniakova isn’t exactly pleased.

On July 29, the US Open’s official page amped up the buzz, dropping the updated list of partners for the tournament. With top stars like Jannik Sinner paired with Emma Navarro, Venus Williams joining forces with Reilly Opelka—it’s all-star energy overload. The excitement in the tennis world is only building, especially with two wild card entries still waiting to be announced.

But Wimbledon’s reigning mixed doubles champion, Katerina Siniakova, couldn’t resist a pointed comment. After snagging the Wimbledon crown with Sam Verbeek just last month, Siniakova shared the US Open post to her Instagram story on Sunday and fired off: “How many more surprises are coming? 🤔😃” Is she teasing at her own hopes, or perhaps hinting at even more unexpected pairings?

This isn’t her first time voicing uncertainty, either. Back on July 19, in a chat with Tennis Channel, Siniakova was asked to rate her own surprise—from 0 to 10—if she didn’t make the Mixed Doubles Madness roster in New York. Her answer? “Well, I think I would keep it on five.” That’s pure honesty, straight from someone in the mix but still waiting for clarity.

And frankly, if numbers decided, Siniakova would be a lock. She’s been on an absolute tear, winning her first-ever mixed doubles Grand Slam at Wimbledon 2025 with Verbeek after a thrilling 7-6(3), 7-6(3) win over Luisa Stefani and Joe Salisbury. This brought her doubles Grand Slam tally to a whopping 10, with Verbeek bagging his first major. Add in last year’s women’s doubles title at Wimbledon with Taylor Townsend, and you get a player who’s not just in form—she’s dominating.

Yet, celebrations have been clouded by frustration. The new US Open format narrows the draw to 16 teams—half wildcards, half chosen by singles rankings—and slots the event during Fan Week, ahead of the main draw. To some, like Siniakova and many in the doubles world, it feels more like a flashy exhibition than a true Grand Slam showdown. For all the star power and $1 million prize, many doubles specialists are now scrambling just for a wildcard.

She isn’t mincing words either. Speaking to Canal+, she declared, “When two world number ones in doubles don’t get into the tournament, there’s probably nothing more to say about it.” She and men’s doubles No. 1 Marcelo Arevalo even had to apply for a wildcard themselves.

For a player loaded with titles but edged out by a singles-heavy system, it stings—a feeling she’s made sure the world hears. And she’s not alone in her frustration. Tennis legend Andy Roddick has questioned the changes too.

Roddick gets real on the US Open mixed doubles twist

Roddick jumped into the US Open mixed doubles debate on his ‘Served’ podcast on June 20, explaining why the format shake-up could be a game-changer. “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.” Now, with this revamp, “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.” And who wouldn’t want to see Elena Rybakina, Taylor Fritz, Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, Mirra Andreeva, and Ben Shelton teaming up and battling it out for the crown?

Ever since the new format dropped, fan buzz has exploded—mixed with plenty of shock. It’s rare to see heavyweights like Alcaraz, Sinner, Shelton, Swiatek, and Sabalenka teaming up in doubles. Roddick admitted some specialist mixed doubles players might lose their spots. But, as he said, “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, this isn’t just a tweak—it’s the tennis All-Star game. Featuring the biggest names in prime time and pumping up fan excitement, this new mixed doubles format aims to shed the “nobody watches doubles” tag for good. Yet amid the hype, the regular doubles specialists are feeling squeezed out by a spotlight shift toward singles stars.

So now with Katerina Siniakova and more raising their concerns, will the doubles pros fight to hold their spots, or will the final four feature only stars from this fresh crossover crop? The off-court drama is heating up fast—drop your thoughts below!