Is the US Open mixed doubles under threat? Boycott rumours swirl as prize money dispute continues

More rumblings are going on behind the scenes as another Grand Slam fast approaches. The US Open is the fourth and final major event of the year, and the final chance for ATP and WTA players to take action against the organisers with the debacle over prize money still going on. Jon Wertheim has even admitted that protests and boycotts could be occurring in what could be a dramatic few weeks away from the action.

This escalating dispute over prize money and revenue sharing has been voiced by many of the best players in the world. The likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have all come out and said their piece on why more money should be poured into the sport, specifically at Grand Slam level.

A letter was sent to all four events with this saga commencing back in March 2025. Rivals on the court, the players set aside their differences to focus on this task at hand. Among their motives were to boost the prize money tied to tournament revenues, increased investment in player welfare initiatives and the creation of a Grand Slam player committee.

A lot of talk around it has risen up amid the possible threat of protests seeming likely. The first sign of that came at Roland Garros this year. Players showed their true feelings as they limited their media duties to just 15 minutes, looking to send out a firm but bold statement of intent.

The Roland Garros prize pot was increased 9.53% from 2025 to €61.7 million. However, this has still not met the players expectations. They are demanding that the four Grand Slams agree to share 16% of their revenue as prize money, increasing to 22% by 2030. Wimbledon also attempted to do their part, boosting their total sum to £64.2 million. Nevertheless, it still fell well short of the players’ reported £71 million demand.

The questions have been piling in about what could be next in this ongoing feud. Threats of boycotts were echoed by World No.1 Sabalenka in Paris who would not rule it out.

All attention is now on Flushing Meadows with more possible action brewing. The mixed doubles seem like an obvious target with there a risk of a depleted field for the tournament held in fan's week a stern message and bitter blow for the tournament organisers.

If the likes of Sinner and Sabalenka, among others, decide that they do not want to play, that could be significantly detrimental as less fans will be willing to tune in and watch. Wertheim explained on Andy Roddick's podcast Served that action could be taken sooner rather than later with the USTA not buckling.

“The US Open, USTA, they are not going to agree readily with any sort of revenue sharing model,” he said. “And yeah, the question is always, what these things is how much leverage do the players have? And there have been rumblings about mixed doubles."

While other players can be drafted in, a weaker lineup can have negative affects. “What I was told is that there are players who are happy to play, who are sort of on a wait list, who haven’t been tapped yet, but if, Jannik Sinner is a name that’s been thrown around, Aryna Sabalenka has been very vocal.

“If those players choose not to play in the mixed event as a form of protest, they’ll still be okay to fill the field. Obviously, you’d rather have the two current world number ones than not, but I don’t think it’s fatal to this mixed doubles event.”

However, not everyone is totally onboard with this. “Remember, too, Serena Williams will be in the draw. Remember, Novak Djokovic too has kind of distanced himself from this group. So if you had Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and all of my downstairs neighbours, I suspect you’d still be okay," he admitted.

“But no, I mean, like any negotiation, leverage is part of this, and one thing I think we talked about this at Wimbledon. The players, you know, the media protest is what it is. I don’t know, it’s more of an annoyance than anything else. The tournaments would rather have better publicity, but it’s not fatal.”

It is set to be another dramatic month of tennis with the North American hardcourt swing boasting some huge tournaments. The 1000 events include the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open which in turn lead to the big one in New York. It is yet to be seen whether there will be anymore action that is confirmed to take place between now and the US Open commencing on August 30.