Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka will team up to compete at this year’s US Open mixed doubles event, despite fears that key players could boycott the event amid pay disputes.
Tournament organisers overhauled the mixed doubles last year, boosting prize money to $1.43m and pushing for top singles players to team up and compete.
The pairing of Djokovic and Sabalenka — two of the most decorated tennis players in the world — provides the US Open with a headline act for this year’s event.
Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud, who made it to the final of the event in 2025, are expected to play again, as are the Japanese duo of Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori.
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina is expected to team up with American Taylor Fritz, while Frances Tiafoe will pair with Leylah Fernandez, who was Nick Kyrgios’ partner for the Australian Open mixed doubles this year.
Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev and Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime have also entered the event.
The change in 2025 came with heavy criticism from doubles specialists who felt they were being shut out of the grand slam event.
The number of top stars who have signed up for the mixed doubles also came despite recent fears of a boycott surrounding prize money and revenue sharing.
Sabalenka has been among the top players who have been particularly vocal about the dispute, which has raged on since March 2025.
A letter was sent from the players to the four grand slam events, demanding greater prize money tied to tournament revenues, increased investment in player welfare and the creation of a player committee tied to the four slams.
This year’s French Open saw some players limit the length of their media availabilities, as part of sending a message about the ongoing pay concerns.
Wimbledon, however, carried on unaffected, despite the total prize money increases falling millions short of what players demanded.
Leading American tennis reporter Jon Wertheim stated that the US Open would likely not bow to the players’ demands and believed the mixed doubles could be targeted for boycotting.