The latest entry list for the US Open’s mixed doubles competition was released on Monday—but even as excitement is building for the reimagined event, not everyone is buying in.
Katerina Siniakova, the WTA’s No. 1-ranked doubles player, didn’t mince words after reviewing the list of 25 teams officially entered in the new-look two-day event, where a $1 million prize awaits the champions.
The reigning Wimbledon mixed doubles champion has teamed up with the ATP’s top doubles player, Marcelo Arevalo. But even for a duo made up of world No. 1s, participation isn’t guaranteed.
Under the new format, the 16-team field is determined by each team’s combined singles ranking, with the top eight earning direct entry and another eight chosen via wild cards at the discretion of tournament organizers.
“When two world No. 1s in doubles don’t get into the tournament, there’s probably nothing more to say about it,” Siniakova told Canal+ in comments translated from Czech.
Currently ranked No. 86 in singles, Siniakova has built a dominant doubles resume. She won her 10th Grand Slam women’s doubles title at the Australian Open with Taylor Townsend, and went on to claim her first mixed doubles crown at Wimbledon this summer with Sem Verbeek.
A vocal critic of the format changes, Siniakova gave her odds of receiving a wild card as a “five out of 10” in a recent interview with Tennis Channel’s Second Serve.
“I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if I won’t get it, actually,” she said. “I will just keep it like this.”
The US Open’s eclectic entry list features high-profile pairings such as Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev—teams all vying for direct entry.
Meanwhile, Siniakova and Arevalo are up against star-studded competition for one of the eight wild cards, including fan favorites Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka, and Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, as well as top doubles teams like Roland Garros champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, and Hsieh Su-Wei and Jan Zielinski, who partnered to victory at Australian Open and Wimbledon last year.