Carlos Alcaraz Slammed For 'Embarrassing' Comments About US Open Mixed Doubles
NewsSunday, 29 June 2025 at 12:18
Carlos Alcaraz will soon fight for his first Grand Slam trophy outside of the singles courts, but his comments about the event were slammed by one of his colleagues.
Alcaraz is one of the best, and possibly the best, tennis players of his generation. The Spaniard is already a five-time Grand Slam champion, having won the US Open and two titles at both the French Open and Wimbledon.
Despite having an incredible success on the singles court, the 22-year-old doesn't really have a lot of experience on the doubles court. Today, it's not so common for singles players to play doubles.
Seeing singles players excel on the doubles court used to be the normality a couple of decades ago, with the likes of John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova reaching the World No. 1 rank in both singles and doubles.
Focusing mostly on singles, Alcaraz has understandably never played on a doubles court at a Grand Slam, but that will change later this year. The Spanish player signed up for the mixed doubles event at the 2025 US Open.
The reason why Alcaraz and many other singles players signed up for the event is simple. The mixed doubles event was completely changed for the US Open, and it will be played during the US Open Fan Week, which is the week prior to the start of the main draw.
That's the week when the qualifying is played and when the tournament organizers try to hold multiple exhibitions to attract as many tennis fans as possible. This year, that event will also include the mixed doubles event.
Alcaraz will team up with Emma Raducanu, and the list of players competing includes the likes of Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jannik Sinner.
When speaking about the event after announcing his participation, Alcaraz seemed very happy about the new format. He stated that he hopes it will be a "really fun" experience.
"I'm super excited about it. I think it's going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament. I will try to bring my doubles skills. We will try to win, but obviously it's going to be really, really fun."
Although his comments might seem completely normal to most, they triggered one of Alcaraz's colleagues, former WTA World No. 1 in doubles, Kristina Mladenovic, who spoke to Eurosport.
The 32-year-old French player was less than impressed by seeing that Alcaraz and some of those participating stated that they see it as a "fun event." According to Mladenovic, that's not the way to look at a Grand Slam tournament, even if it's mixed doubles.
"It's obvious that people would rather see Carlos Alcaraz play than me. But the form is a bit shocking. The moral, once again, is that Grand Slams really do what they want."
"The communication alone is bad. When you hear participants say they're going to have fun while preparing for the US Open, it's embarrassing. A Grand Slam is neither preparation nor fun. It's years of sacrifice. When you're little, you dream of winning one, even in doubles. You don't want to see your sport turn into a gigantic spectacle, even if it will indeed bring in a lot of money."
Mladenovic is one of many doubles players (even though she also enjoyed plenty of success in singles) who have been enraged by the US Open's decision to turn the mixed doubles event into a bit of an exhibition tournament.
At the same time, the six-time doubles Grand Slam champion and three-time mixed doubles Grand Slam winner understands that tennis, as any other sport, is a business. Therefore, she knows that the US Open will sell more tickets by attracting more fans during the fan week.
"In terms of business strategy, it's a brilliant idea. It guarantees the US Open a much more lucrative third week in terms of ticket sales, on-site consumption and, I imagine, TV rights. But from a sporting point of view, it's problematic because it touches on the essence of tennis."
"A Grand Slam is a competition steeped in history, in singles and doubles. And now, all of a sudden, the doubles become a super exhibition without anyone or anything having a say. There's no problem putting on such an event, but above all, don't call it a Grand Slam!"
Regardless of who wins it, it's clear that this year's mixed doubles event at the US Open will be under the spotlight. The response from the fans will certainly be one of the factors when the tournament organizers consider whether they want to proceed with the idea for the following years or not. On top of that, the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon will all be watching.
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