The U.S. Open announced on Tuesday that its mixed doubles format and schedule will undergo a drastic change, effective this year.
Mixed doubles will be played on the Tuesday, Aug. 19 and Wednesday, Aug. 20 during U.S. Open fan week. The field will consist of 16 teams–eight pairings with direct entry based on their combined singles ranking and eight wild cards. Matches prior to the final will be best-of-three short sets (to four games with tiebreakers at 4-4) with no-ad scoring and a 10-point super-tiebreaker for the third. The final will be the same format except full sets to six games with tiebreakers at 6-6. All matches will be played in Arthur Ashe or Louis Armstrong.
The tournament website wrote that the USTA has “reimagined” and “elevated” the focus on mixed doubles.
LOL. “Elevated”?!?! Mixed doubles is being played before the real tournament even begins! Sets are barely more than half as long as normal sets! Half of the field will gain entry based on singles rankings! In what world is that “elevated”????
“I could not be more excited to introduce this groundbreaking innovation to the 2025 US Open Championships,” USTA CEO Lew Sherr stated.
Sherr better temper his excitement in a hurry. We live in a world where public backlash is a force and things can get accomplished on social media. If the USTA is paying attention to Twitter or Bluesky, it might want to backpedal on its “reimagined,” “elevated,” and “exciting ideas in a hurry.
Here are some of the posts:
Sets to 4 games in a Grand Slam? 16 teams with 8 based on singles rankings and 8 wildcards. I’m sorry, but the US Open now will not produce a bona fide mixed doubles winner. Devalued from a Grand Slam title to an exo. Let’s just say I’m in shock
— Paul McNamee (@PaulFMcNamee) February 11, 2025
No communication with the players, no thought behind what it means to some peoples careers, no respect to the history and traditions. Sad to see.
— Jan Zielinski (@zielaczekk) February 11, 2025https://t.co/tnWy9hqFry
When the U.S. Open tried to do away with its wheelchair competition in 2020, a public outcry led by fans and players alike caused that decision to last all of five days. Wheelchair tennis was immediately reinstated. This mixed doubles shakeup in 2025 may not cause quite as much of a stir since it involves able-bodied players and since the competition isn’t being totally abolished (it might as well be, however!), but I still wouldn’t be surprised if this ridiculous idea gets vetoed.
ridiculous scenes
Its the start of a slippery slope for doubles.
You cant mess with tradition too much (if at all)