RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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BBC Sport tennis news reporter Published 1 hour ago Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are set to play together in the upcoming US Open mixed doubles, which was controversially revamped last year to include superstar pairings.
Serbia's Djokovic, 39, and 28-year-old Belarusian Sabalenka are set to join forces for the two-day event, which starts on 25 August in New York.
Former British number one Jack Draper is planning to reunite with American Jessica Pegula after they made the 2025 semi-finals, while Poland's Iga Swiatek and Norway's Casper Ruud - last year's runners-up - will also team up again.
Other notable names who have indicated they want to play together include Japan's Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, American star Taylor Fritz and two-time major champion Elena Rybakina, plus Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev.
There had been a suggestion some of the leading names would boycott the event , external as part of their demands for a greater share of Grand Slam revenue, but the likes of Sabalenka, Swiatek and Pegula - who have each played a prominent part in supporting the collective action - have signed up.
Injured Draper withdraws on eve of another tournament
Spain's seven-time major champion Alcaraz, who played alongside Britain's Emma Raducanu at Flushing Meadows last year, is still recovering from a wrist injury and it is not certain when he will return.
Italy's Sinner - who won his fifth major at Wimbledon last month - did not play in last year's event and has pulled out of the upcoming Canadian Open to "prioritise" his health.
There is also no place yet for Serena Williams. The 23-time major singles champion made her comeback at Wimbledon last month but sustained a knee injury which ruled her out of a planned doubles appearance alongside older sister Venus.
But the announcement of the first wave of entries does not mean Williams will not play - nor does it guarantee the pairings who signed up already will end up taking part.
When the entry window closes on 17 August, the six teams with the best combined singles ranking will be directly accepted into the main draw.
Eight teams will be given wildcards, while the final two places will be decided by an eight-team qualifying round played on 24 August.
Last year, there was criticism that only one team of doubles specialists was invited into the draw - Italy's Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who won the new-look event and declared they had completed their "mission" .
The pair will look to defend their title next month, while British world doubles number one Henry Patten has signed up alongside Czech Katerina Siniakova.
When the US Open announced the overhaul of the mixed doubles - featuring a shorter scoring format in the earlier rounds and new scheduling slot before the singles draws - opinion was split.
It provoked outrage among doubles players, with Errani and Vavassori issuing a joint statement where they called out the organisers for what they felt was a "profoundly wrong" move.
But the pair ended up walking away with the title - and a $1m (£740,000) prize pot which was designed to attract the superstars.
'Bold' US Open gets everyone talking about mixed doubles
It was a huge money-spinner for the US Open last year and looks set to attract significant interest again.
Each of the Slams is trying to maximise its ability to rake in cash in the week preceding the singles main draws and the US Tennis Association's strategy is again banking on star power to sell out Arthur Ashe Stadium on these two days.
Sources have told BBC Sport that US Open organisers have dangled huge appearance fees in front of the big names - up to $500,000 each - in a bid to entice them to play.
Ticket sales already look strong - with seats ranging from $39 in the upper tier on day one to more than $500 for courtside spots on day two - and the names revealed in Monday's announcement are likely to drive further sales.
Even though the other Grand Slams have refused to follow suit, the revamped mixed doubles has captured the imagination of the New York crowd - and looks set to provide more excitement and intrigue across the tennis world when it returns.
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