The tennis community was stunned when the USTA announced the mixed doubles competition at last year’s US Open would become an invitation only event that would feature some of the biggest names in the game.
The doubles specialists who rely on the prize money at the Grand Slams to sustain their season were especially vocal in their criticism of the move, as high earning singles players were placed into an event that retained it’s status as a major title.
Most observers viewed the event taut took place in the week before the US Open as little more than an exhibition event, but it generated huge interest and was played out before packed crowds in New York.
The combinations of players like Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu inevitably drew plenty of attention and the final verdict was that the revamped US Open event was a major success.
Now seven-time Grand Slam winning doubles great Mark Woodforde has given his verdict and while he still has reservations about the event that was won by doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori when they beat Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final, he believes the experiment was a success.
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“I was one of the guys that were saying that I think it would be unfair for the US Open, the USTA, to call their mixed doubles event at Grand Slam with the way they did it,” Woodforde told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador at the Bank of China Hong Kong Open.
“While it was a success in the end, I still say it wasn’t a leg of the Grand Slam. You know, you don’t hand pick teams to play a Grand Slam. That’s not our competition.
“To me, it was an exhibition, but it was an exhibition that actually worked extraordinarily well. I was overjoyed to see Errani and Vavasori lift the trophy at the end.
“They were defending champions and to that that title against all these great players was even more impressive and I liked the principle of doubles teams competing against these hand picked teams of singles players, who were already there preparing for the US Open anyway. In the end, I thought it was extremely well done.”
Woodforde went to suggest his home Grand Slam could have followed the lead of the US Open with their mixed doubles event, as he hinted what we saw in New York last year may be a sign of things to come.
“The Australian Open is often innovative with different formats, so I’m a bit surprised that we haven’t heard from the AO or Roland Garros to say they are doing something like this.
“I’m sure Wimbledon will be the last event that will stand up for what they will say is traditional tennis, but I’m surprised the other two Grand Slams have not looked to follow what we saw at the US Open last year.”
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The Australian Open have unveiled a new innovation for 2026, with top players taking on members of the public next Wednesday in the ‘1 Point Slam’ that will feature tennis pros, celebrities and amateurs from across the country – with $1 million prize money on the line for the winner.
Grand Slam champions Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, Danill Medvedev and Naomi Osaka are among those taking part.
Pat Cash and Mark Woodforde spoke to Tennis365 at the Bank of China Hong Kong Open
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