Although we are currently mid-way through an enthralling French Open, for some, attention has already moved on down the tennis calendar.
In fact, this latest piece of information goes beyond even Wimbledon, the next Grand Slam, and moves straight to the US Open.
However, that is with good reason, as they are plotting something which could revolutionise one area of the sport that has been left dormant for far too long.
US Open planning new event to revolutionise mixed doubles
After all, it’s not a controversial opinion to state that singles tennis commands the bulk of attention not just from the tennis community, but from casual viewers too.
It has the biggest names and the biggest prizes, with stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner likely already household names despite their youth.
And they are following on from the success paved by the Big Four, with Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic having all helped shine a light on a sport that has arguably fallen behind commercially in recent years.
That’s without mentioning the women’s game too, which reached new heights thanks to stars like Serena and Venus Williams, to name just two.
With that in mind, the US Open are seeking to use the big names of today to help shine a light on another area of the sport.
They have reportedly already received buy-in from all of the ATP’s top-ten players, and nine of the WTA’s top ten, with the tournament itself said to be ‘very, very excited’ about what they have planned.
This would make the New York Grand Slam a step above the others, with Frances Tiafoe saying the US Open is better than the other majors in one other key factor as well.
The US Open could revolutionise tennis with this new idea
The fact of the matter is that tennis, despite its worldwide popularity, does not capitalise as it should.
With their Netflix documentary, Break Point, there was widespread scrutiny over their failure to promote the sport like Formula 1 did with Drive to Survive.
And then, with the doubles, at times it can actually feel like this, very valid part of the sport is an afterthought.
So, to find a way to boost the latter with the big names from the singles game makes perfect sense, and is a real step in the right direction. It should surprise no one that the US Open, which builds its entire model around generating as much revenue as possible, are the trailblazer in this regard.
To have already had such support from those major players is key, and it will be interesting to see how it pans out this September.
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