The organizers of the US Open tennis championship have announced the preliminary list of participants in the mixed doubles tournament — and the first line in it is the duet that fans have been waiting for for two years: the first racket of the world Arina Sabalenka will play in pairs with the living legend of men's tennis Novak Djokovic.
- A promise that was kept class=»notranslate»>__GTAG8__ Back in January, at the Australian Open, Sabalenka complained to reporters with a smile: the only time she and Djokovic went on court was only at a charity match before the start of the 2024 tournament, and after that she never received “that long message” from the Serb with an invitation to be a couple. “Maybe this time at the US Open,” the Belarusian joked then, xrust recalls. Judging by the list announced on Monday, Djokovic still kept his promise. For the 39-year-old Serb, who is still in the top 5 in singles and is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam tournament in his career, this will be his second attempt in mixed doubles: a year ago he made his debut with compatriot Olga Danilovic, but lost in the first same circle. Sabalenka, the reigning two-time US Open singles champion, has no such experience at this tournament yet. Who else has been declared In addition to the main pair, the list is decorated with several more high-profile combinations. Six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek will again play with Norwegian Casper Ruud — they reached the final a year ago. World number two Elena Rybakina is announced with Taylor Fritz, Naomi Osaka with Kei Nishikori, Jessica Pegula with Jack Draper (however, the Briton’s participation is in question due to an injury that forced him to withdraw from the tournament in Washington). Two couples are of particular interest to the Russian audience: Mirra Andreeva will team up with Andrei Rublev, and Daniil Medvedev will take to the court with Dina Schneider. Also announced are the current champions of the tournament — Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who, despite the title, will have to rely on a wild card: their singles rating is too modest to directly enter the bracket. How the selection works The application campaign will close on August 17: by this time, six pairs with the best sum of single ratings will automatically enter the main draw of 16 teams — Sabalenka and Djokovic have practically guaranteed their place among them. Eight more wild card tickets will be distributed by the USTA organizing committee, and the last two places will be competed for at the qualifying tournament on August 24. The final matches will take place on August 25-26 on the Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe courts, a week before the start of the main singles draw. Money and disputes The format of the tournament was radically revised a year ago precisely in order to lure top singles players: the bracket was shortened, and the prize fund for the winners was set at $1 million — at the current exchange rate, this is about 90 million rubles per couple. The bet worked: the debut tournament was held in front of full stands and with the participation of top stars. True, some doubles tennis experts criticized the format — in their opinion, it completely relegates professional duets like Errani and Vavassori, who have to literally beg for a place next to amateur singles players, to the background. The new USTA executive director Craig Tiley does not take this criticism seriously: according to him, when men and women take to the court as a team, tennis shows its best side. Sources: ESPN, Bleacher Report, Time News Xrust Sabalenka and Djokovic will be paired at the US Open: the main tennis intrigue of August
- Who else has been declared
- How the selection works
- Money and disputes
A promise that was kept class=»notranslate»>__GTAG8__
Back in January, at the Australian Open, Sabalenka complained to reporters with a smile: the only time she and Djokovic went on court was only at a charity match before the start of the 2024 tournament, and after that she never received “that long message” from the Serb with an invitation to be a couple. “Maybe this time at the US Open,” the Belarusian joked then, xrust recalls. Judging by the list announced on Monday, Djokovic still kept his promise.
For the 39-year-old Serb, who is still in the top 5 in singles and is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam tournament in his career, this will be his second attempt in mixed doubles: a year ago he made his debut with compatriot Olga Danilovic, but lost in the first same circle. Sabalenka, the reigning two-time US Open singles champion, has no such experience at this tournament yet.
Who else has been declared
In addition to the main pair, the list is decorated with several more high-profile combinations. Six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek will again play with Norwegian Casper Ruud — they reached the final a year ago. World number two Elena Rybakina is announced with Taylor Fritz, Naomi Osaka with Kei Nishikori, Jessica Pegula with Jack Draper (however, the Briton’s participation is in question due to an injury that forced him to withdraw from the tournament in Washington).
Two couples are of particular interest to the Russian audience: Mirra Andreeva will team up with Andrei Rublev, and Daniil Medvedev will take to the court with Dina Schneider. Also announced are the current champions of the tournament — Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who, despite the title, will have to rely on a wild card: their singles rating is too modest to directly enter the bracket.
How the selection works
The application campaign will close on August 17: by this time, six pairs with the best sum of single ratings will automatically enter the main draw of 16 teams — Sabalenka and Djokovic have practically guaranteed their place among them. Eight more wild card tickets will be distributed by the USTA organizing committee, and the last two places will be competed for at the qualifying tournament on August 24. The final matches will take place on August 25-26 on the Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe courts, a week before the start of the main singles draw.
Money and disputes
The format of the tournament was radically revised a year ago precisely in order to lure top singles players: the bracket was shortened, and the prize fund for the winners was set at $1 million — at the current exchange rate, this is about 90 million rubles per couple. The bet worked: the debut tournament was held in front of full stands and with the participation of top stars. True, some doubles tennis experts criticized the format — in their opinion, it completely relegates professional duets like Errani and Vavassori, who have to literally beg for a place next to amateur singles players, to the background.
The new USTA executive director Craig Tiley does not take this criticism seriously: according to him, when men and women take to the court as a team, tennis shows its best side.
Sources: ESPN, Bleacher Report, Time News
Xrust Sabalenka and Djokovic will be paired at the US Open: the main tennis intrigue of August
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