The operation of the U.S. Open has caused many famous players in the tennis world to be angry: abandoning tradition for the sake of profit

The US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, kicks off in New York in August. As one of the most prestigious hard-court tournaments in the world, the proposed new mixed doubles format at this year's US Open has sparked huge controversy.

Grand Slam tournaments have always been cautious about changes to the format of the tournament. However, the US Open organisers' adjustment to the mixed doubles event is clearly a bold step. On Tuesday, the final Grand Slam tournament of the year announced that the mixed doubles competition will take place from August 19 to 20, a week before the singles main event, with a prize fund of up to $1 million. This year's mixed doubles format has undergone a major rehaul, with the number of teams shrunk from 32 last year to 16, which is only half the original size.

The entry rules have also changed, and eight groups of players will be directly shortlisted based on their overall singles rankings, rather than the previous doubles overall rankings. The other eight groups of players will qualify for the tournament through wild cards. U.S. Open officials said the adjustment was inspired by the success of last year's "Mixed Madness" exhibition tournament held before the tournament. At that time, the tournament invited a number of well-known singles players to form a mixed doubles pair.

Last year's US Open mixed doubles champions, Italy's Errani and Andrea Vavasori, expressed their displeasure with the change in a statement on Tuesday: "In some cases, it is extremely wrong to make decisions based solely on the logic of profit. Over the past few weeks, we have learned that the US Open mixed doubles tournament will be completely upended, cancelled, and replaced by a pseudo-exhibition tournament that focuses solely on entertainment and performance. We consider this to be an injustice and a total disrespect to the entire mixed doubles player body. We're not sure if we have a chance to defend our title at the moment, but we hope it's just an isolated case. ”

In addition, the match will be played in a best-of-three format, with the first four games in each set to win without a tie-break, and the third set will be replaced by a tie-break. The final is similar to the previous rounds, but requires at least six games per set to win. This means that the match time will be shortened, while the cancellation of the full third set will also affect the length of the match.

The change was seen as an attempt to shorten the duration of the game and improve the spectatorship. However, tennis people are generally opposed to this reform. The players are vehemently opposed to the new format. Jan Zielinski, the 2024 Australian Open mixed doubles champion, was outspoken in his criticism of the US Open organisers: "There is no communication with the players, no consideration of the impact on the careers of some players, and no respect for history and tradition. It's a pity. ”

Australian female player Ellen Perez angrily posted on social platform X: "Isn't this a disguised way to tell us that the US Open doesn't value doubles players at all, tradition is worthless, and professional opportunities are a thing of the past? ”

Former world number one and Australian doubles star Paul McNamee also questioned the US Open: "Mixed doubles requires attention, but the US Open's approach of excluding top doubles players and shortening each set to four games is simply tarnishing the gold content of a Grand Slam title." If they are willing to keep the size and format of the draw, I support moving the game to 'Fan Week'. But if you start to erode the value of a Grand Slam, where will it end up? Please reconsider. ”

Many players believe that the reform devalues the mixed doubles event, using it as a testing ground rather than an equally important Grand Slam event. However, despite the strong reaction, the US Open insisted on the new format, ignoring the opposition of the tennis community.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) responded by saying that the move was intended to attract top singles players. "Our goal is to get the most influential players in the sport in doubles and showcase their collaboration through different formats, which will be an exciting endeavor," said Lou Scher, Executive Director and CEO of USTA. We acknowledge that change is always challenging, but overall, we believe that this newly revamped mixed doubles event will bring greater attention to the mixed doubles event and create greater opportunities to inspire more people to participate and advance the sport. ”

Despite the controversy, the USA Tennis Association has taken steps to "reform" the doubles tournament, and it remains to be seen whether other Grand Slam tournaments will follow suit.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)