Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Sem Verbeek says his “heart is bleeding” over a change in format at the US Open that means he and partner Katerina Siniakova will be unable to play there together.
The duo beat Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3) in the final on Centre Court on Thursday.
The US Open will hold its mixed doubles competition as a standalone event before the start of the Slam from this year onwards in an attempt to attract top singles players to participate.
Several eye-catching partnerships have been announced for the new-look event, including British number one Emma Raducanu teaming up with two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
But it means the vast majority of doubles specialists will miss out on playing in the mixed competition in New York.
“It’s a shame they decided to do it,” Czech Siniakova, the world number one in women’s doubles, told BBC Sport.
“I think it’s a marketing step, but they are taking [away the] chance of doubles players.”
Dutchman Verbeek agreed, adding: “As two athletes that would love to play it, it’s a shame to obviously know that we can’t.
“I’m not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there’s going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public.
“But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.”