'I'm not even sure': Holger Rune remains unsure how he teams up with Amanda Anisimova for US Open mixed doubles event

The US Open marks the end of the Grand Slam season every year, but this year it will be different. The reason behind that was the innovative idea of having a standalone mixed doubles event. This will be the first time that such an event will take place. The new mixed doubles competition will be organised a few days before the start of the main draw, which will then feature the singles and doubles matches.

The move was based on the premise that in the recent past, mixed doubles matches viewership has gone down and therefore, a standalone event featuring some of the best players in the world playing to not only lift the silverware but also to have their hands on a whopping $1 million prize money will ensure more eyeballs. As of now, that premise is seemingly working as the upcoming competition will feature some of the very best talent in tennis including the likes of men’s world number one Jannik Sinner, world number two Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, 2025 and women’s six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek and 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys.

The competition will feature 16 teams, of which eight will qualify directly based on their singles ranking, whereas the other eight will be awarded a wildcard entry. On Tuesday, the US Open’s official pages on different social media platforms released a list of 14 teams that will be taking part in the tournament, including eight teams that have been given a direct entry. One of the teams that received a direct entry consists of Denmark’s Holger Rune and America’s Amanda Anisimova.

Rune is the current world number one in men’s tennis and has won 22 out of 36 matches in the singles category. He has lifted one title in 2025, the Barcelona Open, where he defeated Alcaraz in the final. On the other hand, Anisimova is ranked seventh in the WTA rankings and has won 31 out of her 44 matches in the singles category. Recently, Anisimova had a dream run at Wimbledon, where she finished as the runner-up after losing to Swiatek in the final.

Great idea

Rune, who is currently taking part in the National Bank Open, where he has cemented his spot in the third round after beating France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in straight sets, has spoken to the media about the new version of the mixed doubles event at the US Open. According to Rune, the innovation in the competition’s overall structure is a commendable one, and it is the reason that has pushed big-name players to make themselves available for the event.

"It's a great idea for the US Open to do a mixed doubles event,” said Rune. “Because for singles players, and especially top singles players, there's not many who wants to play the mixed doubles, because it's in the second week of the tournament, so it's usually where you need more rest than playing. I think it's a fun idea to do it in the preparation week.”

Talking about his partnership with Anisimova, he made an interesting revelation about not knowing who contacted whom first. Rune also praised Anisimova and called her a ‘great player’ and is hoping to have fun while sharing the court with her.

"Amanda has been playing extremely well in the past,” said Rune. “She's been, you know, obviously making the Wimbledon final. And she was available, so I reached out and she was happy to play. Actually, I'm not even sure who reached out to who, to be honest. Because, you know, it's the agents and stuff like that. But I'm super happy. She's a great player, very nice person, so that's going to be fun to share the court with her."