Coco Gauff makes US Open mixed doubles confession as she reveals why she is not playing
When the US Open organisers announced the star-studded entrants for the exciting new mixed doubles tournament, reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff was one of the big-name players missing from the entry list.
All the other WTA stars, including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva, Emma Raducanu and Jasmine Paolini are all set to feature, but Gauff – who regularly competes in women’s doubles events – will be absent.
On the ATP side, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have also entered.
The revamped mixed doubles event will be take place the week before the US Open singles draw gets underway as it wilil be played over two days – Tuesday, August 19 and Wednesday, August 20 – at Flushing Meadows.
So was Gauff overlooked for the mixed doubles tournament or did she prefer not to enter?
“For me, it was just because I know the free week of the US Open is already packed for me, for sponsor things, and it was just like a whole other thing. And I’m very competitive; if I were to lose, I would not be happy,” the two-time Grand Slam winner revealed. “So, I didn’t want to waste mental energy on that.
She added: “Then on top of the sponsor stuff, the pre-week, and then knowing that this finished on Monday and potentially having to play on Tuesday. Well, you would have to play on a Tuesday. So I just knew it wasn’t going to work out for me, scheduling-wise.”
Gauff was referring to the Cincinnati Open with the final of the WTA 1000 event set for Monday, August 18, leaving those who compete in the showpiece match in Ohio with very little time to recover ahead of the mixed doubles event as it gets underway a day later in New York.
“I think it’s cool, and I think it’s going to be an exciting two days, and not knocking it off for the future,” she said.
“It’s just that I plan my sponsor weeks literally like a year out, sometimes a year and a half out. And when this whole thing was coming up, I was already booked and busy.”
Fellow American Pegula will be in the draw as she will team up with Tommy Paul while other exciting partnerships include Sinner and Emma Navarro, Casper Ruud and Swiatek, Fritz and Rybakina, Alcaraz and Raducanu.
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Tournament organisers have come in for criticism from those who compete regularly on the doubles circuit as they feel they are being “robbed” of an income with singles players being awarded wildcard entries.
Pegula is happy to be part of the event, but admits players should have been asked for more input.
“I’m honoured that they asked me to play. It’s going to be great, it’s going to be fun and the fans will really enjoy it,” she said.
“At the same time, how they went about it, I didn’t think was really great … We were like, ‘Okay, you guys went rogue and changed the format and didn’t tell anybody. You just did it. Did you talk to the players? Did you get their input about how it could be better?’
“That’s something that we as players are trying to work with them on, having that line of communication be a lot smoother.
“I feel like maybe if there was feedback about the format, then the (reaction) would be a little different, not so all over the place.”
