The revamped US Open mixed doubles event was met with a divisive response when it was announced in February.
A condensed two-day tournament with shorter sets and fewer teams drew ire from sections of the tennis world.
Furthermore, after the tournament began just a day after the Cincinnati Open finals, players such as the ATP and WTA world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from the mixed doubles tournament.
But over 78,000 people attended the US Open mixed doubles matches as some entertaining duos were formed and exciting matches were played.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesMartina Navratilova says what she disliked about the revamped US Open mixed doubles event
One of the reasons for the change to the US Open’s mixed doubles event was to encourage more singles players to take part, with the aim to entice more fans to watch.
That certainly worked, as spectators watched the likes of former US Open winners Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu team up, while Ben Shelton joined forces with the doubles number one Taylor Townsend.
Ultimately, it was the defending champions and the specialised doubles team of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori who won the US Open, beating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final.
Several days after the tournament’s conclusion, Martina Navratilova sat down with Andy Roddick on his ‘Severed’ podcast to discuss what she thought of the event, and what she would change.
“I love the idea. I love the fact that it brought people to the game and players that would normally not play did play,” Navratilova, the 10-time mixed doubles Grand Slam winner said.
“But then the players who normally do play didn’t get to play. The women and men that play mixed doubles exclusively did not get a chance to play, or at least most of them.
“But the tennis was great because the quality of the tennis players was better. But at the end of the day the real doubles specialists ended up winning, so I was happy about that and they got a great pay check.
“I think it’s a great concept. I don’t like the fact it still counts as a regular title because whenever you shorten the format it levels the playing field and it becomes much more chancy and mixed doubles is already pretty tough to play, with no ad and just a tie break in the final set.”
Photo By Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty ImagesMartina Navratilova wants more teams involved in the next US Open mixed doubles event
Another criticism of the US Open mixed doubles event was the number of teams involved. The field was reduced to just 16 teams, and the format was played under Fast 4 rules.
This means teams needed to win just four games to claim a set, and a tiebreaker would decide the set if it reached 4-4. Only the final was played with the standard six games to win a set.
But moving forward, Navratilova would like to see a more teams allowed to enter the competition and more opportunities for kids to watch the matches.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. I just think it could be better and maybe make 32 teams,” Navratilova said. “Make it a three or four day event. But then they [the singles players] are not going to want to play.
“It’s like you can’t have it all always, and whenever you can fill those seats that’s great. I would also like to see more free seats for the kids during the tournament, not just the week before.
“It has become so prohibitively expensive for families to come, so it’s great it’s free and you can put more people in the seats and get more fans.”