Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are set to play together in the upcoming US Open mixed doubles, which was controversially revamped last year to include superstar pairings. Serbia’s Djokovic, 39, and 28-year-old Belarusian Sabalenka are set to join forces for the two-day event, which starts on 25 August in New York. Former British number one Jack Draper is planning to reunite with American Jessica Pegula after they made the 2025 semi-finals, while Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Norway’s Casper Ruud – last year’s runners-up – will also team up again.
Other notable names who have indicated they want to play together include Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, American star Taylor Fritz and two-time major champion Elena Rybakina, plus Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. There had been a suggestion some of the leading names would boycott the event, external as part of their demands for a greater share of Grand Slam revenue, but the likes of Sabalenka, Swiatek and Pegula – who have each played a prominent part in supporting the collective action – have signed up. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – the two leading players in the men’s game – have not entered.
Spain’s seven-time major champion Alcaraz, who played alongside Britain’s Emma Raducanu at Flushing Meadows last year, is still recovering from a wrist injury and it is not certain when he will return. Italy’s Sinner – who won his fifth major at Wimbledon last month – did not play in last year’s event and has pulled out of the upcoming Canadian Open to “prioritise” his health. There is also no place yet for Serena Williams.
The 23-time major singles champion made her comeback at Wimbledon last month but sustained a knee injury which ruled her out of a planned doubles appearance alongside older sister Venus. But the announcement of the first wave of entries does not mean Williams will not play – nor does it guarantee the pairings who signed up already will end up taking part. When the entry window closes on 17 August, the six teams with the best combined singles ranking will be directly accepted into the main draw.
Eight teams will be given wildcards, while the final two places will be decided by an eight-team qualifying round played on 24 August. Can doubles stars prove a point again? Last year, there was criticism that only one team of doubles specialists was invited into the draw – Italy’s Sara E…
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