The US Open have made significant changes for the 2025 tournament that has divided opinion amongst both players and fans.
This year the US Open will be extended, as they are set to begin the main draw of singles action on a Sunday to join both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
As a result, Wimbledon is the only of the four Grand Slams to still have a Monday start.
However, it appears that is not likely to change anytime soon, with Tim Henman dismissing the idea of Wimbledon following their counterparts.
This is not the only big change that the US Open have made this year, with their most recent announcement causing a major reaction amongst players.
Jan Zielinski says US Open have ‘no respect’ for mixed doubles announcement
It has been confirmed by Stacey Allaster, the US Open tournament director, that the mixed doubles event will have a complete overhaul in 2025.
Allaster announced that the US Open mixed doubles will now be moved before the main draw of singles and will take place in the same week as qualifying in a bid for ‘equality’.
That is not the only significant change that has been made to mixed doubles, as the draw will now be reduced down from 32 to 16 teams, with eight of those teams being based on singles ranking, while the other will be wildcards.
The event will also see a scoring format change, with the first three rounds being played as sets to four, before the final goes back to the traditional six.
With this reduction in draw size and change in scoring format, the mixed doubles tournament will now take place over just two days.
This announcement has received a very strong reaction, with two-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion Jan Zielinski slamming the tournament for its decision and revealing that the players had no say.
“No communication with the players, no thought behind what it means to some peoples careers, no respect to the history and traditions,” Zielinski said in response to the announcement. “Sad to see.”
This might not be the end of the updates to this year’s tournament, with the US Open suggesting other doubles events could change.
Ellen Perez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin add to US Open criticism
There has been a lot of backlash towards the US Open for this decision, with Zielinski not the only player to show his disapproval.
One of those to express their frustration is two-time Roland Garros champion and tour veteran Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who reached the US Open mixed doubles final in 2022 with Kirsten Flipkens.
“Terrible decision not to let the doubles Players play the mixed doubles at the @usopen (thumbs down emoji),” the Frenchman said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Top 10 WTA doubles player Ellen Perez, who has competed in the US Open mixed doubles event for the last four years, suggested that the tournament have treated doubles specialists like trash.
“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. (clown and clapping emoji)” Perez added on social media.
It was not just current players who have criticized the US Open, with former doubles number one and five-time major winner Paul McNamee admitting that he was in shock at this announcement and claimed that it made it seem more like an exhibition than a Grand Slam event.
“Sets to 4 games in a Grand Slam?” questioned the Australian. “16 teams with 8 based on singles rankings and 8 wildcards. I’m sorry, but the US Open now will not produce a bona fide mixed doubles winner. Devalued from a Grand Slam title to an exo. Let’s just say I’m in shock.”
The US Open mixed doubles event will now take place between August 19-20, as the backlash continues.
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