Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. I’m super excited to share some awesome news with you all about an initiative happening in the tennis world that could significantly enhance the doubles competition at the U.S. Open.
Recently, I stumbled upon an article that caught my eye. It was about a conversation between U.S. Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster and tennis legend Andy Roddick on his “Served” podcast. They discussed a way to ensure more singles stars play in the doubles competition, which would greatly enhance the excitement and value of the event for fans.
The current state of doubles at the U.S. Open has been somewhat overlooked in recent years. However, Allaster believes that this needs to change. “I think there needs to be some adaptation,” she said. “I would love to see more singles players play (doubles).” The current setup where the doubles sign-in takes place on Sunday, after the main draw starts, doesn’t allow many top singles players to participate in doubles due to their physical exhaustion from playing both singles and doubles.
Allaster suggested that perhaps the doubles sign-in should be pushed ahead five days and after the conclusion of the second round of singles. This way, half of the 128 men’s and 128 women’s singles players would have already been eliminated and wouldn’t have to worry about the physical stress of playing both singles and doubles. By starting the doubles tournament on Saturday, it would gain more visibility and take eight to nine days to complete six rounds of the event.
This change could also add much-needed content over the Labor Day weekend, especially since ticket sales swell during this three-day American holiday weekend. It would ease crowding on the grounds because there are more matches on the outer courts for fans to spread out and watch.
The U.S. Open has already seen initiatives like the “Mixed Madness” mixed doubles event during “Fan Week,” which sold almost 10,000 tickets. This shows that there is interest in doubles when it’s marketed effectively.
Some examples of top singles players who lost in the first or second round and did not play doubles include Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas (who played official mixed doubles), Hubert Hurkacz, Gael Monfils, Sebi Korda, Matteo Berrettini, Stan Wawrinka, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassame, Fabio Fognini, Chris Eubanks, and Reilly Opelka on the men’s side. On the women’s side, some notable players who lost early but did not play doubles include Danielle Collins, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Bianca Andreescu, Maria Sakkari, Barbora Krejcikova, Amanda Anisimova as well as Karolina Pliskova and Elena Rybakina who both pulled out with injury.
If the doubles tournaments can see an uptick in interest, it could potentially lead to added ticket-selling sessions. For instance, the second Thursday of the tournament could see a split day-night session with one women’s semifinal during the day and one at night, with men’s doubles semifinals also being played as the second match during each respective session.
This change is not just about marketing; it’s about creating a more engaging experience for fans. As Allaster noted, “If there’s a product on the shelf and it’s not being bought, then manufacturers adapt the product.” By adapting the doubles competition schedule, we can ensure that more fans are engaged throughout the tournament.
So there you have it – a potential game-changer for the U.S. Open doubles competition If you want, you can check out the news where I found it here.
Yours truly,
Mia
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