Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka join forces as controversial format returns at US Open

The main draw of the 2026 US Open will be played at Flushing Meadows between August 30 and September 13.

Before the singles tournament proper gets underway, the US Open will hold its controversial Mixed Doubles Championship for a second year.

Introduced in 2025, the Mixed Doubles Championship precedes the main draw in order to bring some of the bigger names into the fold.

Next month's championship will feature the formidable pairing of men's world number five Novak Djokovic and reigning back-to-back US Open women's singles champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Other pairings announced this week include Elena Rybakina with Taylor Fritz, Mirra Andreeva with Andrey Rublev, and Naomi Osaka with Kei Nishikori.

The final will be played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Wednesday 26 August.

Italian pair Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the mixed doubles in 2025, capitalising on their expertise as doubles specialists and their wildcard entry as champions.

"It's a glorified exhibition in my eyes," said the British doubles star Jamie Murray after the new format was introduced last year.

"It's frustrating. That money is going to players who are making an absolute boatload anyway.

"They aren't playing because it's an opportunity to win a Grand Slam, they're playing because they're getting a truckload of cash and potentially a pretty cool event.

Murray is a four-time US Open doubles winner, collecting the titles in consecutive years between 2016 and 2019.

His first title was in the men's doubles with Brazil's Bruno Soares before a mixed doubles win in 2017 with Swiss legend Martina Hingis.

Murray won the mixed doubles with American player Bethanie Mattek-Sands in 2018 and 2019. He's also an Australian Open winner with Soares and a Wimbledon champion with both Jelena Jankovic and Hingis.

Some doubles specialists missed out in 2025 as a result of the rescheduled competition making room for so-called superstar pairings and the format of the Mixed Doubles Championship divides opinion.

'Matches are played as the best of three sets to four games, which is down from the usual six,' according to talkSPORT.

'There are also no advantage points and instead of a normal third set, they play a ten-point tiebreak.

'However, sets are played to six games in the final, with the ten-point tiebreak also replacing a third set.'

If fit, British number five Jack Draper will team up with American Jessica Pegula in the Mixed Doubles Championship. Henry Patten will be paired with Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic.

Errani and Vavassori have entered again and will aim to defend their title against some of the sport's biggest hitters.

Errani is a legend of doubles tennis. The 39-year-old has won all four Grand Slams in women's doubles and has dominated the French Open and US Open with Vavassori in the last couple of years, winning both twice.