Mixed doubles at the US Open is to be played for a $1m first prize in the week before the singles event – making the final Grand Slam of the season a three-week event.
And American stars Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula have pledged to take part.
The mixed doubles is traditionally overshadowed by the singles and even the doubles with the final moved to different slots in the last few days of the event.
Now the United States Tennis Association has decided to stage a 16-team event on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 August before the main tournament starts on Sunday August 24.
Competing for record prize money, all matches will be played in the two main courts – Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium – and shown live in the USA on ESPN.
The US Open announced last month that it will start on a Sunday for the first time this year to follow the French and Australian Opens. Now the New York-based event has become the first Grand Slam to extend the competition days to 17.
“I could not be more excited to introduce this groundbreaking innovation to the 2025 US Open Championships,” said USTA CEO Lew Sherr. “We’ll be scheduling mixed doubles on the center stage and enabling more fans worldwide to enjoy the thrill of watching their favourite stars compete for this coveted Grand Slam Championship title.”
Half of the 16 teams will be wildcards to allow organisers to invite big-name singles players to compete.
Jessica Pegula said, “As a player who enjoys competing in doubles, I’m excited for the opportunity to play the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship during the first week. I appreciate the importance of innovation and exploring new ways to engage more fans and grow our sport.”
US Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz added: “Mixed doubles is always a great challenge, and I’ve had some amazing experiences with it over the years, from the Olympics to the United Cup, and even the USO Mixed Madness last year. I’m definitely looking forward to the chance to compete for a Grand Slam title in the future.”
The Australian Open already stages exhibition matches during the week prior to the first Grand Slam of the year. And the Melbourne event broke the main draw and three-week attendance records with 1,218,831 fans through the gates total with their Opening Week attracting 116,528 fans. As well as increased ticket revenue, the extra days will see more fan spending on food, drinks and merchandise.
Wimbledon introduced play on the Middle Sunday for the first time in 2022. But TIm Henman, a member of the All England Lawn Tennis Club board, insisted the grasscourt Slam will not stretch to 15 days by starting on a Sunday.
“No, no, no,” he stated. “It was to do with the courts. So the big issue from when it was a 13-day event, the middle Sunday was absolutely about really watering the courts to make sure that it was going to be still alive for the latter part of the tournament. And Centre Court is the one that gets played on the most because it’s used every day and to have it in the best possible condition for the final weekend; it was a big decision to go to 14 days. So all that research and data around that. You are looking at 80 hours of tennis on Centre Court. That’s the sort of maximum, optimal amount of time. So it was a big decision to go to 14 days and that has worked well. The appetite to go to 15 days is zero.”
Wimbledon wants to bring the qualifying event on site as part of expansion plans which have been held up by legal objections from local residents.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk