Followers could be delighted on the prospect of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz sharing the identical court-space within the US Open
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Non-conformity is a quintessential US Open trait. From being the primary to introduce a final-set tiebreak manner again in 1970 to permitting in-game teaching in 2022, the season’s final tennis Main has defied custom a number of occasions.
Tuesday, nevertheless, will see arguably essentially the most radical and controversial of transformations, with a brand new combined doubles format able to be showcased. It is going to function solely 16 groups — eight direct acceptances and eight wild playing cards — down from 32, and gamers have been allowed to enter solely with their singles rating.
The 2-day affair is being performed within the week previous the Slam and can witness lowered units (to 4 video games, besides within the last). The who’s who of singles tennis, from Carlos Alcaraz to Jannik Sinner to Iga Swiatek to Naomi Osaka, will compete with out having to fret about doubles burning their singles ambitions.
Making a buzz
For the US Tennis Affiliation (USTA), it’s about making a buzz round a format that doesn’t exist outdoors the Slams and quadrennial extravaganzas just like the Olympics. It could actually assist schedule matches on the most important show-courts such because the Arthur Ashe Stadium, promote tickets, beam the motion on primetime tv and acquire extra in sponsorships.
However the change has left the doubles stars disillusioned. “As a doubles athlete, my coronary heart is bleeding,” mentioned Wimbledon champion Sam Verbeek, and one can see why.
Already competing for a fraction of the prize cash, doubles specialists have had the door shut on their faces. None among the many ATP doubles top-10 is within the draw. 9 of them had taken half within the 2025 Wimbledon combined doubles competitors.
The ladies fare higher, with three of the WTA doubles top-10 set to compete. However the present World No. 1 is United States’ Taylor Townsend and to not have her would have been a public relations catastrophe.
Thus, the almost three-fold enhance in purse from $802,000 in 2024 to $2,360,000 will principally be pocketed by the already extremely paid singles stars.
“Doubles already performs second fiddle to singles by way of visibility, scheduling, prize cash. This transfer simply reinforces that hierarchy,” former World No. 1 Rohan Bopanna informed The Hindu.
“A Grand Slam isn’t nearly singles. It’s about your entire ecosystem. Once you begin trimming one half, particularly one thing that’s been a convention, it chips away on the completeness of the occasion.”
Unilateral decision-making
What has additionally rankled the gamers is the USTA’s seemingly unilateral decision-making. “I’m honoured that they requested me to play, however how they went about it wasn’t actually nice,” quipped Jessica Pegula, World No. 4 in singles and a WTA Participant Council member, in Cincinnati just lately.
“We have been like, ‘you guys (US Open) simply went rogue and altered the format and didn’t inform anyone’,” the American added.
The competitors can also be working concurrently with an ATP 250 in Winston-Salem (USA) and it’s no-brainer as to who will take pleasure in essentially the most protection.
At a time when seven of 9 ATP Masters 1000s — besides Monte Carlo and Paris — have ballooned into 12-day snooze-fests, elbowing out smaller tournaments, US Open’s transfer doesn’t encourage confidence. Can a worldwide sport additional permit the shrinking of its footprint?
Revealed – August 18, 2025 08:50 pm IST
