US Open revamps mixed doubles format to attract top singles players, including $1m prize pot and show court billing
Published 12/02/2025 at 08:56 GMT
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The US Open tournament organisers have announced radical changes to the mixed doubles format for 2025. A $1m prize pot, a curtailed scoring system, and a smaller draw prioritising top singles players are all part of a raft of sweeping changes. The changes have been made to attract more star power to mixed doubles and to get more fans watching, but have attracted criticism from mixed specialists.
The Opening Ceremony for the Men's Singles Final match between Taylor Fritz of the United States and Jannik Sinner of Italy on Day Fourteen of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center on September 8, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Image credit: Getty Images
The US Open has radically overhauled its mixed doubles format for the 2025 tournament in a bid to attract more top singles players and get more eyes on the event.
The revamped format will feature a changed scoring system and prioritise singles players competing in teams, rather than established mixed doubles players, a move which has been poorly received by some specialists.
The tournament will also condense the mixed doubles event into two days before the start of the competition proper, and all games will be played on the two biggest courts, Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong.
It is hoped the shortened format and a $1m winner's prize will lure more top singles players to take part and in turn, encourage more fans to watch.
"With the shift also comes more opportunities for fans everywhere to enjoy watching their favourite stars compete for another Grand Slam title," the US Open enthused in a press release.
"One of the primary reasons the US Open is among the premier sports events in the world is because it features the best athletes, both male and female, competing on an equal stage," said Lew Sherr, executive director of the United States Tennis Association.
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"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. We’re working closely with top players, many of whom are eager to be part of this historic change."
Mixed doubles will be played during US Open 'Fan Week', the week before the tournament starts, on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 August, when qualifying for the singles draw takes place.
The event had previously been held later in the tournament and had often suffered from smaller crowds, as it had competed for viewers with the latter stages of the singles events.
The main draw of singles play is slated to start the following Sunday 24 August. The move is intended to allow singles players to play mixed doubles without worrying about the impact on their chances in the singles event.
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The changes to the 2025 US Open mixed doubles event. Image credit: US Open.
Image credit: TNT Sports
The event will feature just 16 teams, down from 32 last year. Eight teams will earn direct entry based on their combined singles ranking, and the other eight will be wildcard entries.
This change in particular affects established mixed doubles specialists, many of whom will miss out.
Sherr didn't confirm the eight wildcards would go to mixed doubles specialists, saying, "there are likely to be some other singles players that perhaps we think can add to the field," according to The Athletic.
"We don’t want any doubles specialist to feel like they’ve lost the financial opportunity because they’re no longer eligible to compete. It’s not that they’re not eligible, but they might be less likely with the shorter field and the singles ranking driving participation," he said.
A shortened scoring system will be in place like at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Teams will play best-of-three sets to four games a set, and with no-ad scoring, a tiebreak at four-all in a set, and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a full third set. The final will be similar but with sets going to six games and a tiebreak at six-all.
The change is the second announced by the US Open organisers in recent days after it confirmed the tournament would expand to 15 days in 2025, with a Sunday rather than a Monday start.
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