(Reuters) -World number four Jessica Pegula said the controversial mixed doubles event at the U.S. Open could generate strong spectator interest but urged organisers to improve communication with players before making major format changes.
The year’s final Grand Slam announced in February that its mixed doubles competition, which will offer $1 million in prize money, would take place from August 19-20 ahead of the singles main draw the following week.
The competition’s format was also overhauled to feature a field of 16 teams – half of the 32 teams that competed last year – with eight entries based on the combined singles rankings of players and eight wild cards.
Matches will be best of three sets, with short sets to four games, with no-advantage scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games.
The move was described by defending U.S. Open champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori as a “profound injustice” to doubles players, and Pegula, who is part of the WTA Player Council, said more communication was needed between organisers and players.
“I’m honoured that they asked me to play. It’s going to be great, it’s going to be fun and the fans will really enjoy it,” Pegula told reporters at the ongoing Cincinnati Open.
“At the same time, how they went about it, I didn’t think was really great … We were like, Okay, you guys went rogue and changed the format and didn’t tell anybody. You just did it.
“Did you talk to the players? Did you get their input about how it could be better? That’s something that we as players are trying to work with them on, having that line of communication be a lot smoother.
“I feel like maybe if there was feedback about the format, then the (reaction) would be a little different, not so all over the place.”
The U.S. Open said previously it understood the feedback from players but stressed that the reimagined event will elevate mixed doubles with a bigger spotlight and inspire more people to play the sport.
Pegula, who will team up with fellow American Tommy Paul in the competition that also features pairs such as Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu and Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, said the move to limit the field could impact doubles players’ earnings.
“It’s not good when you have players saying they’re upset that now they can’t play, or that it’s a way for them to make money and now they don’t have that,” Pegula added.
“It’s going to be a really fun event, but at the same time, I wish that they would have been communicating with us a little bit better.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru)
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