Iga Swiatek has pinpointed one change that needs to be made to improve the US Open mixed doubles event next year.
Swiatek partnered Casper Ruud at the US Open mixed doubles event, making it all the way to the final.
Despite being unable to win the title, Swiatek sent a heartfelt message to Ruud after playing doubles for the first time with him.
Both players appeared to enjoy the new partnership, with Ruud also very complimentary towards Swiatek.
Although there appears to be a generally positive feeling towards the revamped mixed doubles event, Swiatek believes one change needs to be made next year.
Iga Swiatek calls for change to be made to the US Open mixed doubles event in 2026
It has been a busy few days for Swiatek, who won the Cincinnati Open title just 16 hours before she was back on court for the US Open mixed doubles event.
There has been a lot of backlash towards the US Open for changes to the format, but that is not what Swiatek has an issue with.
Instead, Swiatek wishes that the Cincinnati Open final had taken place a bit earlier, rather than finishing just one day before the US Open mixed doubles event.
Two of the four Cincinnati Open finalists withdrew from US Open mixed doubles, including Jannik Sinner who was struggling with illness.
“No, I think the format is the only way actually the singles players could play without it influencing the singles tournament, which obviously we want to avoid,” Swiatek said in her press conference. “It makes sense.
“I think maybe the Cincinnati final could have been earlier, if that’s possible or something, because that was just the toughest part for me. But obviously for me only. Like Carlos [Alcaraz] finished a bit earlier. Jasmine [Paolini] pulled out. Yeah, I think this could be the only change.
“Format to play only up to four, four games, I think it’s fine. I think obviously it’s short, but I think you can still see who’s better kind of. The final up to six, as well, it makes sense because, I don’t know, we could come back (smiling).”
Iga Swiatek explains why she left Casper Ruud in charge of tactics
There were many doubts about whether Swiatek would even play the US Open mixed doubles event, but she still decided to travel to New York to play alongside Ruud.
While Swiatek was still committed to playing with Ruud, she admitted in her post-match speech that she left the tactics to the Norwegian due to her run in Cincinnati.
“I want to thank the tournament for the opportunity for us to play when we could,” said Swiatek. “We always focus on singles but now we had the opportunity to play mixed together. I really enjoyed it.
“Thanks Casper for texting me. I guess we agreed on that, who started it. I always had a huge amount of respect for you. You know that. Sharing the court with you has been amazing. I think we really made a good team. Especially without preparation I guess.
“The Cincinnati tournament went long for me and he was in charge of the tactics. He just told me like 10 minutes before every match. I really loved it. We could play really freely and enjoy the atmosphere. Thank you guys for coming and watching. This event is to make you entertained and we did the best job possible. Thanks for staying.”
Swiatek and Ruud will now spend a few days away from the matchcourt, as they look to prepare for the singles event at the US Open.
The draw for the singles events at the US Open will take place at 12pm Eastern Time on Thursday, August 21.
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