The 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles was an absolute heartbreak for Katerina Siniakova and her fanbase. She was initially slated to partner with Jannik Sinner in the event. However, the ATP #1 was forced to withdraw hours before the event. Troubled with health issues after facing defeat at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Open, the 24-year-old star announced, “I’m disappointed, I didn’t feel great from yesterday. During the night, I thought I would recover a bit better, but it was not the case.” Ultimately, his partner, Siniakova, also had to steer clear of the doubles court. Needless to say, the fanbase wasn’t really happy with Siniakova’s removal. But the US Open organizers found unexpected backing from one of the big guns of the tennis world. 

Ever since then, the fans have been criticizing the US Open’s move to remove Siniakova from the mixed doubles schedule as well. It was natural for them to do so. After all, Siniakova skipped the Tennis in the Land, a WTA 250-level event in Cleveland, to play in the US Open Mixed Doubles. On top of that, she has 11 Grand Slam Doubles titles on her resume, along with an Olympic gold in women’s doubles and another in mixed doubles. The Tennis Letter effectively shared the fans’ sentiments when they wrote in an X post that it was a “Sad way to treat one of the best Doubles players in the world.”

However, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, took a step forward to defend the US Open management. Responding to The Tennis Letter, Stubbs wrote, “These are the rules! Does it suck, yep! This is the same in doubles too. If the draw is made, this is just too bad. It’s not the first time, and won’t be the last time it happens. Get your rule book out.” 

Not everyone was content with Stubbs’ reply. One fan lashed out at her, asking for an explanation about the other replacements in the pairings. Jack Draper was initially set to play with Paula Badosa, but later got to partner with Jessica Pegula. Pegula’s former partner, Tommy Paul, had to withdraw. Another team, Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov, was replaced by Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti. But later, Musetti got himself paired with Caty McNally. So, the question lingers: why did these players find a replacement, but not Siniakova? Why was Sinner and Siniakova’s team replaced by Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison? 

The answer lies in the rulebook. The other pairs were changed before the draws were made. And Jannik Sinner pulled out much later. According to the rules, one cannot find a replacement after the draw has been made. In such events, the entire team will have to be substituted. Stubbs responded to the questions and claimed, “The rules are the rules! Once the draw is made, you CANNOT CHANGE PARTNERS! Before the draw is made, there can be changes in partners, but they still have to be high enough to get in. That’s THE RULES! Relax! And get educated.”

However, the defensive stance doesn’t mean Stubbs was happy with the US Open’s decision. To be fair, she wasted no time in expressing her disappointment with the management. 

Rennae Stubbs irate with a mishap that led to Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal

Taking to X, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, exclaimed, “A Monday final is just ABSOLUTELY BONKERS! @atptour @WTA I’m sure the @usopen isn’t happy about it either.” This season, the US Open organizers made a terrible management error. With the Cincinnati Open ending on 18 August and the US Open Mixed Doubles commencing on 19 August, the athletes got absolutely no time to recover. This jam-packed scheduling has garnered a lot of flak from ATP and WTA players alike.

Stubbs continued, “Detracting from fan week and possibly the mixed doubles tournament they’ve put a lot of money into and that fans have paid to see with those names… Tennis really needs a commish!” While the fans and professionals gracefully accepted the revamped structure of the tournament (allowing singles players to form teams and enter the Mixed Doubles), they were absolutely unhappy with the scheduling. 

Had Sinner felt better, he would have paired up with Siniakova and competed against Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic. Sadly, things didn’t work in their favor. Nevertheless, we can always hope for the two to pair up next time.

But what do you think? Would Siniaková and Jannik Sinner have teamed up if the world no. 1 had been given enough time to recover after the Cincinnati Open? Let us know what you think in the comments below.