There's a $1 million prize and big names for 2025 U.S. Open mixed doubles. Why are some people upset?

Grand Slam singles champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys will be playing for $1 million in the U.S. Open's mixed doubles tournament.

Grand Slam singles champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys will be playing for a little extra money — OK, a lot of extra money, by any standard: $1 million to the winning duo — and trying to get their hands on a trophy in the U.S. Open’s overhauled mixed doubles tournament.

The best of the best at doubles, meanwhile, are not so excited about what one of last year’s mixed champions in New York, Sara Errani, labeled “sad” and “nonsense” in an interview with The Associated Press. She and Andrea Vavassori, who’ll be defending their title, are the only true doubles team competing Tuesday and Wednesday at Flushing Meadows.

A year ago, only two highly ranked singles players participated.

“It would be like if, at the Olympics, they didn’t let the actual high jumpers participate, and instead had basketball players compete in the high jump because it’s more ‘interesting.’ If you want to do that, I guess you can, but you can’t award them medals,” Errani said. “You can’t have a Grand Slam doubles (trophy) and not let doubles players take part. ... You’re excluding them from their sport. It’s dishonest.”

The top seeds, based on their combined singles rankings, are Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, and Jack Draper, a semifinalist a year ago. He’s onto his third partner after Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and former No. 2 Paula Badosa withdrew with injuries. Their initial opponents might be the most-anticipated pairing: five-time Slam champ Alcaraz and 2021 U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu.