'I didn’t want to waste mental energy on that': Coco Gauff gives honest depiction on why she isn't playing US Open mixed doubles

When the US Open organisers unveiled the glittering list of entrants for their revamped mixed doubles event, the roll call read like a who’s who of tennis royalty. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva, Emma Raducanu and Jasmine Paolini are all signed up. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have all confirmed their spots.

Yet, one glaring omission caught the eye: reigning French Open champion and women’s doubles regular Coco Gauff will be nowhere near the mixed doubles draw. The new event, scheduled for August 19–20 at Flushing Meadows, will run just before the main singles action begins.

Organisers have paired big-name WTA and ATP stars into tantalising combinations: Pegula and Tommy Paul, Sinner and Emma Navarro, Casper Ruud and Swiatek, Fritz and Rybakina, and a marketing dream team of Alcaraz and Raducanu.

However, the format has drawn criticism from doubles specialists, who feel they are being "robbed" of income as wildcards have been given to high-profile singles players. Pegula welcomed the chance to play but acknowledged communication with organisers could have been better.

"I’m honoured that they asked me to play. It’s going to be great, it’s going to be fun and the fans will really enjoy it," she said. "At the same time, how they went about it, I didn’t think was really great… You guys went rogue and changed the format and didn’t tell anybody. You just did it. Did you talk to the players? Did you get their input?".

As for Gauff, her absence was a matter of timing and priorities rather than a lack of interest: "For me, it was just because I know the free week of the US Open is already packed for me, for sponsor things, and it was just like a whole other thing. And I’m very competitive; if I were to lose, I would not be happy... So, I didn’t want to waste mental energy on that.".

Her decision was also influenced by the tight turnaround from the Cincinnati Open, where the WTA 1000 final is scheduled for Monday, August 18. The mixed doubles begins the next day in New York. "Then on top of the sponsor stuff, the pre-week, and then knowing that this finished on Monday and potentially having to play on Tuesday… I just knew it wasn’t going to work out for me, scheduling-wise," she explained. "I plan my sponsor weeks literally like a year out, sometimes a year and a half out. And when this whole thing was coming up, I was already booked and busy.”.

The American continued to talk about the event by saying: "I think it’s cool, and I think it’s going to be an exciting two days, and not knocking it off for the future," While Gauff’s absence from mixed doubles may disappoint fans, it illustrates the razor-fine planning required for elite players.

Currently playing in Ohio, Gauff’s campaign began solidly: she beat Xinyu Wang 6-3, 6-2 in the second round. During the third round, she advanced without hitting a ball as her scheduled opponent, Dayana Yastremska, withdrew due to illness. That walkover nudged Gauff directly into the round of 16, where she is set to face Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, who earned her spot by beating Jelena Ostapenko 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

With doubles income debates simmering and scheduling realities pressing, her choice reflects a careful balance between competitiveness and calendar logistics. As the US Open looms and her Cincinnati clash with Bronzetti approaches, Coco Gauff is laser-focused, not on new events, but on managing her energy, her sponsors, and her path toward her next Grand Slam push.