Sabalenka confirms she’ll team with Novak Djokovic in US Open mixed doubles
Sabalenka and Djokovic are listed among the entrants for the US Open’s special mixed-doubles event on August 25–26; the confirmation followed Sabalenka’s Cincinnati win.
World No. 1 Arina Sabalenka confirmed she will pair with Novak Djokovic in the mixed doubles event at the US Open. The pair appear on the entry list for the special mixed-doubles tournament scheduled for August 25 and 26, which will be held immediately before the main singles draw.
Sabalenka gave the confirmation after her second-round win in Cincinnati over Gibson. Djokovic, meanwhile, had already finished his tournament run there following a defeat to Tirante.
How the partnership came together
Asked by reporters in Cincinnati who first proposed the team, Sabalenka smiled and recounted Djokovic's persistence. "You know, he begged me to play with him," she said. "I said, 'You know what... Of course, legend, I'll help you. Let's try to have fun and win the title.' So I guess it's true. We're playing. It'll be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it."
The two players have known each other for years and maintain friendly off-court relations; their families socialise together, and Djokovic even works with Sabalenka's fiancé. Sabalenka had already voiced lofty aims for the tournament weeks ago.
"I hope this time we'll all be healthy! I'm very excited. I think it'll be fun, and playing with Novak is always fun," she said earlier. "As for mixed doubles, I've only played once in my life at Grand Slam events. Now we're going full force to the end. We're aiming only for the title, I believe that's our goal, so I think it will be both fun and intense."
Organisers published the participants for the special event in advance. Besides Djokovic and Sabalenka, notable pairings entered include Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz; Mira Andreeva and Andrey Rublev; Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. Other announced teams are Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev; Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev; and Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori.
The revamped mixed-doubles format introduced last year proved popular with fans: matches are shorter than standard doubles and are staged immediately before the start of the singles competition.
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