‘Don’t call it a grand slam’: Why has the U.S. Open’s new mixed doubles format been so controversial?

Sara Errani, left, and Andrea Vavassori during the mixed doubles final of the 2024 U.S. Open. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource)

The thought of the top men’s and women’s singles players teaming up is one that has often intrigued tennis fans around the world.

It’s part of the reason the mixed doubles event sometimes draws so much interest during the Olympics, with Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff and Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva forming two star-studded pairings at Paris 2024.

It is also one of the few opportunities men and women have to directly compete against each other in professional sports.

Now, the U.S. Open – the fourth and final grand slam of the season – is aiming to cash in on that intrigue with a revamped version of the mixed doubles.

Rather than having the event run concurrently with the singles and doubles, as is traditionally the case at grand slams, a shortened edition will now take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the US Open’s ‘Fan Week’ that precedes the start of the main draw, which kicks off next week.

Sixteen pairs will take part in a shortened format that is best of three sets, but each set is only the first to four games and there will be no advantage after deuce, with the winner of the next point winning the game. There will also be a 10-point tie break instead of a full third set.

“It’s a radical change by the US Open,” Bob Bryan – one half of identical twin duo the Bryan Brothers, the most successful men’s doubles pairing in tennis history – told CNN Sports’ Don Riddell.

“It’ll be sold out in Arthur Ashe Stadium, all the stars, the single stars are playing it. The downside is that the doubles players won’t get a shot to play it or to defend their title or whatever, but the prize money is a big increase.”

Prize money for the winning pair this year is $1 million, a mammoth increase of $800,000 – or five times more – from 2024.

And the US Open’s attempt to lure big names to take part has clearly worked.

Five-time grand slam singles champion Carlos Alcaraz teaming up with Emma Raducanu and current Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek joining forces with Casper Ruud, what’s not to like?

Well, quite a lot if you ask some doubles specialists.

Kristina Mladenovic, a former world No. 1 in doubles and nine-time grand slam winner across doubles and mixed doubles, said it’s “embarrassing” hearing the players saying they are “going to have fun” at the event as they prepare for the main singles draw.

“A grand slam is neither preparation nor fun,” she told Eurosport. “It’s years of sacrifice. When you’re young, you dream of winning one, even in doubles.

“In terms of business strategy, it’s a brilliant idea … but from a sporting point of view, it’s problematic because it touches on the essence of tennis. A grand slam is a competition steeped in history, in singles and doubles.

“There’s no problem putting on such an event, but above all, don’t call it a grand slam.”

At the time of the announcement, defending US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori called the format change a “profound injustice,” though they have since been given a wild card to defend their 2024 title.

Jan Zielinski, mixed doubles champion at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2024, said there had been “no communication with players” from the organizers about the change.

Organizers have already confirmed that the event, described as a “pseudo-exhibition” by Errani and Vavassori, will count as an official grand slam.

So not only have the doubles specialists been denied the opportunity to compete for potentially career-changing prize money, they have also been denied the chance to challenge for another grand slam.

CNN Sports has reached out to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for comment.

Mike Bryan, Bob’s twin, says he understands players’ frustrations.

“I mean, if we were on tour and we were left out of the possibility of winning a grand slam in mixed doubles, we’d probably be upset,” he told CNN Sports. “Now that we’re retired, we see it from a greater perspective of the US Open is a business.

“But you don’t want it to cheapen a grand slam title. We’ll see. Maybe, maybe it won’t. Maybe, it’ll make it even bigger.”

But being great singles players doesn’t automatically mean two stars will make a good doubles pairing. Court positioning, tactics and timing are vastly different between the two formats, with doubles specialists boasting more skills at the net than many top singles players.

Currently, Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini the only two players across the men’s and women’s tours to be ranked inside the top 15 in both singles and doubles, though Coco Gauff has also previously been ranked inside the world’s top three in the two formats (No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles).

It is common for the doubles and mixed events to draw smaller crowds during grand slams than the singles and Mike Bryan says it was perhaps in danger of becoming an “afterthought” at the US Open.

“As players that play doubles, we’re just hoping that kind of trickles down to the popularity of the doubles game itself, which I think it will,” Bob added. “So we’re excited to see how it goes.

“Let’s see if the other grand slams take a look at it and are interested in making the same change, but it’s a kind of a groundbreaking decision and it could revolutionize mixed doubles for years to come.”