US Open mixed doubles was more Fyre Festival than Glastonbury - Raducanu could not save it

The US Open mixed doubles had all the ingredients to be the best festival of tennis on the planet. But it left an overwhelming feeling more like Fyre Festival than Glastonbury.

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz’s partnership was billed as the hottest ticket in town - the Courtside Coachella. There hadn’t been this much hype for a mixed doubles event since Andy Murray and Serena Williams teamed up at Wimbledon in 2019.

And yet, when the moment came, it fizzled out quicker than a dodgy generator in the Bahamas.

Just 51 minutes after stepping onto court, the dream duo were gone. No interview, no fan interaction, no appetite for more.

How could it have gone so badly wrong? Was there too much prize money, making the players take it too seriously? Is the new fast-four format simply too short to build a proper headline act?

Should the players be mic’d up to at least give us some backstage drama?

The Laver Cup proved that innovation can work in tennis, but this felt like a hastily thrown together beach rave without the music. If mixed doubles is going to be the sport’s main stage attraction, it needs to offer more.

Golf format

If Tommy Fleetwood doesn't have a clue about the 2025 Tour Championship format changes, how are the rest of us meant to have a chance?Even Rory McIlroy confessed it's "hard for the players to get their heads around".

Can't all golf events just agree on a uniform format?