The US Open has revealed how many fans attended the new mixed doubles competition this year

The US Open is off to a successful start with the debut of the newly reimagined mixed doubles tournament, which saw the world’s top stars pitted against each other.

Tennis legends such as Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams featured in the competition, as well as the likes of Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz.

The final saw Swiatek and Casper Ruud take doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori to a decisive third-set tiebreak.

Errani and Vavassori ultimately clinched the title in front of a packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, who took the annual ‘Fan Week’ to new heights.

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The US Open smashes its mixed doubles fan attendance record

The event saw unprecedented numbers of fans attend mixed doubles action, with 78,000 fans visiting the grounds across the two-day competition.

Arthur Ashe Stadium was sold out on both days, and 20,000 visitors also scanned their fan access passes to view the matches for free in Louis Armstrong Stadium on the 19th of August.

US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster said: “We’ve always believed that mixed doubles is undervalued in our sport and has the potential to engage and captivate many more fans.

“This year, we made bold changes in scheduling, format and player field to showcase the uniqueness of the top men and women in the world competing on the largest tennis stage in the world and fans and players loved it.”

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Grand Slam events will likely emulate the US Open’s mixed doubles format

The introduction of the new format has caused controversy among fans and players, who feel that true doubles competitors are being denied opportunities.

Though their argument is a valid one, it won’t stack up against the US Open’s attendance record in the eyes of tournament directors from the other three Grand Slam tournaments.

With such a sizeable increase in fan attendance, the fourth major of the year has pulled in much more revenue from a stream that has never reaped great financial rewards in the past.

It will be hard for the Australian Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros to turn down the opportunity of following suit.

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