There will be a sprinkling of stardust at the US Open mixed doubles later this summer with Carlos Alcaraz partnering British No 1Emma Raducanuin an event many top players have decided to give a try for the first time.
Jannik Sinner will play alongside the world No 9 Emma Navarro, while British No 1 Jack Draper will partner Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has agreed to play with his Serbian compatriot Olga Danilovic.
The rush of big names to the event comes after the US Open moved the mixed doubles to the qualifying week, with matches being played on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong courts on Tuesday 19 August and Wednesday 20 August.
The scoring system has also been changed, with sets being played to four games instead of six until the final. There will also be a sudden death deuce and a tie-break at 4-4, with a 10-point tie-break instead of the third set.
The final will be the same, but with normal six-game sets instead, with thewinners walking away with $1m(£740,000)–an increase of $800,000 from 2024.
Eight pairs have earned entry based on their combined singles ranking, with the other eight pairs decided by the US Open’s wildcard committee.
That has caused controversy among some doubles specialists. However Lew Sherr, the USTA’s CEO and executive director, said the new format allowed the world’s best men and women to compete with and against one another.
“Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited,” he said. “It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.”
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Tennis power couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa will also compete together. However the Australian No 1 Alex de Minaur said that he and his British fiance, Katie Boulter, had not yet been asked to play.
“We are definitely keen to play if they allow us to do so,” De Minaur added.