During Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner couldn’t hide his excitement about the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles event. “I’m very happy to play with Emma. I told her already to not get pissed at me with my very good volleys. In doubles, I struggle.” Emma Navarro was equally upbeat about being paired with Sinner. “I think it’s going to be fun…I’m going to have a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations to live up to out there.” Speaking about being paired with him for the first time, she even joked that Sinner was “begging me to play”. And yet, just days before the event kicks off, Navarro has completely withdrawn. Cold feet? Not quite.

As per the latest reports, Emma Navarro, Paula Badosa, and Tommy Paul have pulled out of the mixed doubles draw altogether. Renowned tennis journalist José Morgado confirmed the development on X (formerly Twitter) while also sharing what their respective partners could do next: “Emma Navarro, Paula Badosa and Tommy Paul have all withdrawn from the US Open Mixed Doubles event. Each of their original partners – Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula, respectively – are allowed to repair up until 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 17.”

B,ut why the sudden shake-up? Navarro has opted to compete in Monterrey, Mexico, next week instead of staying on for mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows. Badosa’s withdrawal stems from her lingering back injury, and Tommy Paul, still easing back from his own injury, has decided to prioritize singles preparation. While Pegula quickly found a new partner and some other players secured direct entries, Sinner’s situation is far less rosy.

Following these exits, Jessica Pegula successfully re-paired with Britain’s Jack Draper, preserving their direct entry. The withdrawals also opened doors for Italian stars Jasmine Paolini (No. 9) and Lorenzo Musetti (No. 10) to gain a direct spot. There are two wildcard slots that remain unannounced, too. Sinner, however, is still scrambling to find a partner ranked high enough to meet the entry criteria. The other options would be to not either not enter or risk losing. As things stand, time is ticking for him with nothing to guarantee his participation in this marquee mixed doubles event so far. But the field remains packed with star power.

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Direct-entry duos include Elena Rybakina/Taylor Fritz, Iga Świątek/Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic/Alexander Zverev, Amanda Anisimova/Holger Rune, and Mirra Andreeva/Daniil Medvedev. Wildcard pairings bring even more buzz: Emma Raducanu/Carlos Alcaraz, Madison Keys/Frances Tiafoe, Olga Danilovic/Novak Djokovic, Taylor Townsend/Ben Shelton, and the legendary Venus Williams teaming up with Reilly Opelka. Fans are thrilled to see names like Alcaraz, Raducanu, and Venus in the mix. Similarly, the hype surrounding Sinner and Navarro wasn’t unfounded, even though neither was a doubles specialist. 

If we look at their doubles credentials, Sinner has played 51 doubles matches, holding a 26-25 record and one career title, with a current doubles ranking of 570. Navarro isn’t much more seasoned: 64 matches, 28 wins, and no titles yet. Still, their names alone carried the weight of expectation that would come with a first-ever pairing between the men’s world No. 1 and one of America’s rising stars. 

Both players joked about the pressure they’d face in this new format, but their enthusiasm was evident throughout the lead-up. Sadly, for now, it’s back to waiting for fans who hoped to see this duo in action. Whether Sinner manages to salvage a spot in the draw remains the big question. But one thing’s certain: this isn’t the US Open start he was envisioning.