British tennis star Emma Raducanu has urged the All England Club and other major championships to embrace the US Open's groundbreaking approach to mixed doubles competition.
The 22-year-old former US Open champion partnered with Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz in New York's reimagined tournament, which took place during the preliminary week at Flushing Meadows.
"It would be so fun if all the Slams got involved and did something similar, even if it was not the exact same format," Raducanu said.
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Emma Raducanu has urged more Slams to, including Wimbledon, to follow the US Open's approach to mixed doubles
|Reuters
The innovative competition attracted tennis's biggest names and generated significant attention, prompting discussions about the future of mixed doubles across the sport's premier events.
The revolutionary tournament featured a condensed format with sets played to just four games, departing from traditional scoring methods.
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Prize money reached $1 million for the winning pair, representing a fivefold increase from the previous year's championship purse.
The event drew 78,000 spectators to Flushing Meadows and saw Arthur Ashe Stadium completely sold out across both competition days.
Singles champions including Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek participated alongside Raducanu and Alcaraz.
The tournament's scheduling shift to the week preceding the main singles competition helped generate substantial pre-tournament buzz.
However, withdrawals from world number ones Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner dampened some of the initial excitement.
The doubles community has voiced fierce opposition to the new format, which excluded nearly all specialist pairs from competing.
Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the sole traditional doubles team permitted entry, claimed victory and viewed their triumph as validation of specialists' competitive rights.
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Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten by Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula earlier this week
|Reuters
The Italian duo have been particularly vocal critics of the tournament structure.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon has shown no inclination to modify their mixed doubles competition, which has remained largely unchanged since its establishment in 1913.
The All England Club appears reluctant to abandon tradition, though the US Open's bold experiment has sparked debate among Grand Slam organisers about potential format changes.
Despite their opening-round defeat to Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula in just 50 minutes, Raducanu expressed genuine enthusiasm about her partnership with the five-time major winner.
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Wimbledon currently has no plans to change their mixed doubles approach
| GETTY"I think it was a huge success. So many fans got involved, so many people watched and tuned in. It got a lot of attention," Raducanu said.
The British number one emphasised her enjoyment of the experience: "It was a great idea and I had a lot of fun on the court playing with Carlos."
She believes the format benefits tennis overall, suggesting it "gets everyone involved the week before the tournament and builds a lot of talk around the tournament."