What every other Grand Slam has told the US Open about their mixed doubles event

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The controversial new US Open mixed doubles event is about to begin, with some of the biggest stars in tennis set to compete for the $1 million prize.

Ahead of the 2025 tournament, the US Open announced major changes to mixed doubles in a bid to increase viewership.

The likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Iga Swiatek are all set to join the field for the two-day event, which begins on Tuesday, August 19.

While some are excited for the event, there has been plenty of criticism aimed at tournament organizers, with many arguing the new format has left traditional doubles players by the wayside.

With all that being said, the US Open Senior Director of Player Relations, Eric Butorac, has now suggested whether he thinks the other Grand Slams will follow suit and make changes to their mixed doubles events.

Eric Butorac thinks other Grand Slams will copy the US Open mixed doubles format in the future

Appearing as a guest on the latest episode of ‘Nothing Major’, Butorac was asked whether he thinks the other three majors will copy the format.

“I personally think that they will,” he said.

“They have told us that, at least in 2026 that they will not be going to and that they are set on their current competition.

“But we are a day away from this event happening, so I think a lot remains to be seen about whether this event is really a success.

“On paper, we are super excited about the draw, but we are going to hold judgment, and I’m sure they will be watching this closely to see how it goes.”

He then shared how long it took for the controversial changes to come to fruition.

“There wasn’t one official day. We were working on this for years,” he said.

“We have been tweaking the format in my head and on paper over what this could possibly look like.”

“February was when we made our first announcement to the Tours, we met with the player councils and reps, and the CEOs of the Tours.

“So that was the moment it started to spread among players.”

Butorac, a former doubles player, proceeded to comment on the pushback the tournament received from players after announcing the changes.

“There were mixed opinions,” he said.

“Everything from a couple of agents telling me that, within a day of us announcing the format that players were already pairing up. I think [Iga] Swiatek and [Casper] Ruud paired up in the first 12 hours that anyone got wind of this.

“On the flip side, there were a lot of doubles players who were really upset, and many of them have my cell phone, and many of them called. Indian Wells was a busy week, where I had to have a lot of conversations.

“I understand doubles players’ concerns. I lived that life and had a lot of good conversations with people.

“I don’t think they liked what we did, but I think once they understood the lens we were looking through, which is truly to grow the sport and being fans first, they understood, and that was the best place we could land with that group of players.”

2024 US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori vocalized their disappointment in the changes, claiming the move was a ‘profound injustice’.

Errani and Vavassori are the only recognized mixed doubles team competing at this year’s event, as their usual rivals have been replaced by high-profile singles stars.

Who is competing in the US Open mixed doubles event?

16 teams will compete for a $1 million prize this year, in a first for Grand Slam mixed doubles.

11 of the 16 teams have at least one major title to their name in either singles or doubles.

It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious at Flushing Meadows, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.

The 2025 US Open mixed doubles event is scheduled to take place between Tuesday, August 19, and Wednesday, August 20.