Emma Raducanu has revealed that she would like to see the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon follow in the footsteps of the US Open in adopting the New York Slam’s new-look mixed doubles competition.
This year, the US Open introduced a revamped edition of the traditional mixed doubles competition, including a lucrative prize pot to entice leading singles players and a shortened, standalone format taking place in the week before the final Grand Slam of the season.
It also changed the entry rules, with doubles teams qualifying via their combined singles ranking instead of their doubles ranking. This, again, was introduced with the aim of ensuring the sport’s biggest singles stars would be incentivised to compete.
Critics of the new format were quick to highlight that this sidelined many of the world’s leading doubles players, however, while the four-game sets and two-day format led some to label the event a glorified exhibition prioritising profit over fair treatment for doubles as a specialised craft.
While criticism will likely remain unless organisers can find space for more established doubles pairings in the future, there is little doubt that the event was a huge success with fans and the players who did take part.
One of the few traditional doubles pairings, Team Errani / Vavassori ended up winning the event.
“A huge success”
Raducanu, who drew one of the largest crowds when she stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium alongside Carlos Alcaraz, has now vocalised her own support for the format.
“I think it was a huge success,” she said.
“I think so many fans got involved, so many people watching and tuned in. It got a lot of attention. It was a great idea and I had a lot of fun on the court playing with Carlos.”
The British No 1 then went on to say that she hopes the other three Grand Slams would follow the lead of the New York major and adopt something similar in the future.
“I think whether it is the exact same format or not, something like this would be a great addition to the Slams,” Raducanu continued.
“It gets everyone involved the week before the tournament and builds a lot of talk around the tournament. I think it is great for the sport in general.”
