Emma Raducanu believes the other grand slam tournaments should follow the US Open’s lead and change the format of their mixed doubles competitions after relishing her time competing alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the revamped version of the competition this week.
This year, the US Open controversially opted to make significant changes to its mixed doubles championship, moving it from its usual position during the rest of the main draw events to the qualifying week and shifting the entry criteria so that it heavily favoured singles players.
“I think it would be so fun if all the slams got involved and did something similar, even if it was not the exact same format,” said Raducanu. “I think it was a huge success. I think so many fans got involved, so many people watching and tuned in. It got a lot of attention. I think it was a great idea. And, yeah, I had a lot of fun on the court playing with Carlos.”
Raducanu is still seeking her first win here since she won the US Open in 2021. With all of the pressure and expectations that have followed her, the past few years have been extremely difficult. However, things have changed significantly for her this year.
“I’d say I do feel very different to 2022,” she said. “I really struggled when I came back in 2022. I didn’t enjoy coming back here. I think now is the first time that I feel like I can come back to the US Open and really enjoy the memories that I made here and be proud of that and see it as a happy place. So for that, I feel very grateful for and very pleased about. So I feel in a much better place now.”
Raducanu, who begins her tournament against a qualifier, has gained confidence from performing at a consistently high level throughout this summer, winning numerous matches and gradually rebuilding her ranking. In her most recent match, Raducanu pushed the No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to a third set tie-break in their Cincinnati Open third-round match before narrowly losing.
“I think the main thing is just I came out to America in DC and I have played since,” she said. “I made semis there. And then I played in Montreal, pretty quick turnover. I went to Cincy and had a good match, and then played Aryna, lost that in three. Put in some good practice work the last 10 days in. I just feel relatively prepared as best as I can be. You’re never going to feel completely perfect, you’re never going to feel 100% ready, but as ready as I can be. That’s how I feel.”
The US Open will mark Raducanu’s first grand slam tournament and second event overall with her new coach, Francisco Roig. Roig, who was part of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team during all of his 22 grand slam titles, once competed in doubles alongside the Spaniard, a topic that helped to break the ice between Raducanu and her new coach before they started working together:
“It was so funny, because I was playing in Montreal, and I came off the court. I think I just played Peyton [Stearns], had a good match, came through,” she said. “He was like: ‘I know you can’t lose on that court. I came out of retirement and won my only doubles match on that court.’ So it was, like, a good omen.”
Meanwhile, Fran Jones continued her breakthrough run by defeating Arianne Hartono 6-2, 6-4 to qualify for the US Open main draw without dropping a set. Jones has Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia (EED), a rare genetic condition, which means she was born with a thumb and three fingers on each hand, and seven toes. The 24-year-old has not let this stop her from reaching her goal of becoming an elite tennis player: Jones recently broke into the top 100 and rose to a career high ranking of No 84.
