Djokovic and Sabalenka headline US Open mixed doubles – but the 2026 cast is missing its biggest names

The US Open unveiled the entry list for its 2026 Mixed Doubles Championship on July 27, and the headline act is a genuine blockbuster: 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will partner world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a brand-new pairing of two of the sport’s biggest names. It leads a group of four marquee couples announced by the USTA for the revamped event, which runs August 24–26 during Fan Week at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Alongside Djokovic and Sabalenka, the list features the return of the 2025 finalists Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula (also together last year), and Elena Rybakina with Taylor Fritz. Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori – winners over Swiatek and Ruud in the 2025 final, 6-3, 5-7, [10-6] – are back to defend their crown.

New USTA chief executive Craig Tiley framed the appeal simply: “Anytime you can bring women and men together on the same team, you showcase tennis at its best.”

The 16 entered teams:

• Djokovic/Sabalenka
• Swiatek/Ruud
• Draper/Pegula
• Rybakina/Fritz
• Taylor Townsend/Alexander Zverev
• Mirra Andreeva/Andrey Rublev
• Diana Shnaider/Daniil Medvedev
• Naomi Osaka/Kei Nishikori
• Leylah Fernandez/Frances Tiafoe
• Alexandra Eala/Felix Auger-Aliassime
• Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli
• Amanda Anisimova/Learner Tien
• Katerina Siniakova/Henry Patten
• Elena-Gabriela Ruse/Nuno Borges
• Errani/Vavassori
• sibling team Peyton and Preston Stearns

Eala makes her debut in the event, while Nishikori plays it for the first time in what he has said is his final season.

Compared with the star-saturated 2025 launch, the 2026 field is noticeably lighter at the very top — particularly on the men’s side. Last year’s inaugural revamp pulled in almost the entire elite: Carlos Alcaraz (with Emma Raducanu) and Jannik Sinner (entered with Katerina Siniakova before withdrawing) were in the field, plus Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti, Gaël Monfils, Ben Shelton with Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka adding star wattage.

Alcaraz had been widely rumored to pair with Serena Williams, who returned to competition in June, but neither is in the field; Serena’s summer ended early when a knee injury forced her out of the Wimbledon doubles.

The women’s list remains deep — Sabalenka, Swiatek, Rybakina, Anisimova, Andreeva, Osaka, Pegula, Bencic, Eala and Fernandez is a formidable roster, and Sabalenka herself is a marquee addition over last year.

The event again sits inside Fan Week, before the singles main draw begins, with qualifying on August 24, the first round and quarterfinals on August 25, and the semifinals and final on August 26. Prize money for 2026 has not yet been confirmed; in 2025 the winning team banked a record $1 million, a 400% jump that put mixed doubles champions level with the men’s and women’s doubles winners.