Reigning US Open champions slam ‘disrespectful’ rule changes
Current US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have scathingly branded the recently announced tournament rule changes as a “profound injustice.”
The changes by the USTA (United States Tennis Association) are an attempt to garner greater interest from singles players to participate in the mixed event, instead of focusing on established pairings.
Those alterations are drastic, with the draw halving the number of pairings — from 32 to just 16.
Additionally, instead of their combined doubles ranking being used to determine qualification for the event, the combined singles ranking will be used for direct entry for eight of the pairings. The others will be determined by a simple US Open wildcard.
However, as expected, not all players are happy about the revamp.
The winners of the US Open’s mixed doubles category in 2024, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, have reacted in a statement.
“Making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations,” said the Italians in a joint Instagram post.
“Mixed doubles is not very well known, that’s true, but everything that’s part of a Slam competition – the History behind every single result – is unique and it’s a great honour to become part of it.
“In the last few weeks, we received the news that the US Open mixed doubles tournament will be completely turned upside down, cancelled and replaced with a pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show.
“We see it as a profound injustice that disrespects an entire category of players. We don’t know at the moment if we’ll have the chance to defend our title, but we hope this remains an isolated case.”
Despite the criticism from the Grand Slam champions, the USTA remains steadfast in their belief that the changes will, ultimately, bring more viewers to the mixed event.
“We acknowledge that change is difficult, however overall we believe this reimagined mixed doubles championship will elevate mixed doubles with a bigger spotlight and provide a greater opportunity to inspire more people to play and grow the sport,” the US Open said in a statement.
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This comment follows a similar narrative to their initial justifications for the changes.
“I could not be more excited to introduce this groundbreaking innovation to the 2025 US Open Championships,” said Lew Sherr, the USTA CEO.
“By giving the competition its own spotlight, we’re elevating mixed doubles to put an even greater focus on the incredible talent we have across the sport.”
Ellen Perez, former world No 7 and US Open mixed doubles semi-finalist, made her feelings clear on X.
“Tell us that you think doubles players are trash, that tradition is overrated and job opportunity is a thing of the past without actually saying it,” she wrote.
There has been an influx of interest in doubles, with Rafael Nadal teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics, as well as Serena Williams with Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2019, and the annual Laver and United Cups.
It remains to be seen whether the US Open’s changes will work to garner further interest, but the initial alterations remain controversial – for now.
