Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka have signed up to play a new-look mixed doubles tournament at this year’s US Open.
The event, which has drawn mixed reactions from players and fans alike, will take place at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday and Wednesday of qualifying week (August 19-20).
It will feature 16 teams, comprising the top eight pairs with the best combined singles ranking and eight wildcard entries.
Kyrgios and Osaka have declared they will team up, although their participation is yet to be confirmed.
MORE: Who are the highest ranked Australian tennis players?
Ranked 633rd and 57th in doubles, respectively, organisers would need to award them a wildcard.
This, however, is deemed highly likely considering their combined star power.
Kyrgios reached the US Open quarter-finals in 2022, while Osaka is a two-time singles champion in New York.
The world’s top singles players have flocked to the revamped doubles spectacle.
Only two of the 20 current top-10 male and female players are yet to sign up.
Plenty of notable pairings have also been confirmed, including men’s No. 1 Jannik Sinner linking up with women’s No. 9 Emma Navarro and men’s No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz joining forces with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Changes to the mixed doubles format have been made to attract high-level talent, with major stars typically forgoing the event to focus on their singles campaigns.
“Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited,” US Tennis Association chief executive Lew Sherr said.
“It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.”
The event, however, has drawn criticism from some doubles specialists, with the condensed structure pushing long-time competitors out.
Read the full article here