EMMA RADUCANU has called on Wimbledon to follow the US Open’s lead and stage a reimagined mega-money Mixed Doubles Championship.
US chiefs broke with years of tradition to create a new, revamped event that involved only 16 teams, 15 of which were scratch pairings involving the world’s best singles player.
Victory, ironically, went to the established doubles duo of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori from Italy, who are now working out how to split a lucrative $1million purse.
Raducanu’s partnership with Spain’s two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, which only lasted two sets and 50 minutes, was the talk of the town and got tongues wagging given the alleged romantic link.
Many loved the concept – though it did divide opinion across the traditional tennis base – and the success among the Gen Z fans puts pressure on Wimbledon, the Australian Open and French Open to copy.
The inaugural mixed doubles event at Wimbledon started in 1913 and it would be a major upheaval if they changed the format rules next summer.
Raducanu, 22, said: “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.
“I think it was a huge success. I think so many fans got involved, so many people watched 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.”
Ranked 35th in the world, Raducanu will take part in the tournament on Sunday afternoon, at 4pm local time, against a qualifier, with the identity discovered later tonight.
She will head into the US Open – the major she memorably won in 2021 against all odds – with a new coach by her side.
Spaniard Francisco Roig, 57, was an instrumental figure behind the success of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal and is hoping to work his magic on the young Brit.
Raducanu, who was so close to being seeded in the draw, said: “We’re working a lot on the court, putting a lot of hours in.
“He loves spending time on court. But we find a good balance. It’s not all just serious.
“Also time passes so fast, which is a good sign whenever you’re spending time with someone.
“Overall, I think just working on the quality of my shots and improving them.
“So far it’s been going pretty well, but I need more time, for sure.
“It’s always nice if someone has been around for such a long time, especially with someone like Rafa.
“You can tell when we’re at these big events, at these big matches or tournaments with a lot of people, there’s a big element of calm assurance in the matches.
“There’s no stress or panic, which definitely rubs off on me.
“I feel overall in certain situations on the practice court, even certain shots, if things aren’t going well and aren’t going perfect, I can just trust in my game more.”
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