Just In: Tennis players ‘losing jobs’ as US Open criticised for controversial change
The revamped US Open mixed doubles event gets underway next week, with some new changes for this year’s competition. In 2025, US Open organisers announced a radical overhaul of the mixed tournament, staging it across two days during ‘Fan Week’, the week before other main draws get underway. There are just 16 teams in the field and fast-four scoring is used until the final.
There has been another change for 2026 – a one-day qualifying event that allows players to enter using their doubles rankings and sees two teams qualify for the main draw. Several high-profile duos have already signed up, including Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, and last year’s runners-up, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.
But Andrew Castle has suggested that the US Open’s mixed doubles tournament is closer to an exhibition than a real Grand Slam competition, and has taken jobs away from specialist doubles players. “It’s a shame for mixed doubles, like the proper players, because this is, for me, an exhibition. It’s a one-week filler,” the former BBC Wimbledon commentator told Betway.
The Majors have been expanding their offerings during their respective qualifying weeks, with additional tournaments and high-profile practice sessions. And Castle believes the mixed doubles is the US Open’s attempt.
“So, everybody’s looking to extend their Grand Slams that extra week through qualifying on site, through various activities, including the one-point challenge in Australia for a million bucks,” he continued.
The mixed doubles is filling that role, so… so kind of the people who play doubles, that’s less jobs for them, and the tournament is over before it’s begun, for them, and there are less jobs for doubles people. So that’s my first thought. My second thoughts really are, okay, it’s extending the revenue raising into a third week for a two-week Grand Slam.”
While the retired British player-turned-presenter understands that it can help with selling tickets for extra days of tournaments, Castle doesn’t see the US Open mixed doubles as an official event – even with the likes of Djokovic and Sabalenka teaming up.
He added: “It’s a bit like the Masters Series extending to 10 days and two weeks instead of a week, and I understand why it stretches it out; it stretches out the commercial revenues and all the rest of it. But for me, it’s an exhibition. It doesn’t mean much. I hope they have fun, and it’s a bit of a giggle.
“But don’t tell me that Djokovic and Sabalenka playing together is the highest form of art in our world, in our tennis world, because it isn’t. I view it higher by a long way than [Nick] Kyrgios v Sabalenka in the exhibition match. But I still put it into a kind of exhibition category.
“Maybe I’ll be proved wrong in a little bit, because when it gets down to it, the last couple of matches, people suddenly realise there’s a Grand Slam title on the line. So, then it gets real.
The US Open mixed doubles qualifying has attracted a host of top doubles players, including the WTA and ATP No. 1s, Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten. Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, and Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski are also among those set to compete in the preliminary rounds.
Two-time defending champions and doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have also received main draw wildcards. There are still three wildcards to be announced, but Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev are among the recipients
