World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka humorously revealed during a Berlin Open press conference that Grigor Dimitrov “begged” her to team up for the revamped US Open mixed doubles event, scheduled for August 19-20, 2025, per Tennis.com. Sabalenka, fresh off a 6-2, 7-6(6) win over Rebeka Masarova, shared, “He was texting me, non-stop, begging me to play… I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to play.’ But he was begging and I was like, ‘Ok, you got it,’” per Tennis365. Initially unaware of the new format, which features 16 star-studded pairs competing for a $1 million prize during Fan Week, Sabalenka was persuaded by Dimitrov’s persistence post-Australian Open, per Pro Football Network.
Sabalenka, a former doubles world No. 1 with Grand Slam titles at the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open alongside Elise Mertens, brings significant experience, per Wikipedia. Dimitrov, ranked No. 19, has limited doubles credentials, prompting skepticism from John Isner and Sam Querrey on the Nothing Major podcast, who warned he might “hold her back,” per The Tennis Gazette. Despite this, their partnership joins marquee pairings like Carlos Alcaraz-Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka-Nick Kyrgios, per BBC Sport. Sabalenka’s playful recounting, echoed on X by @tennis365com, has fans buzzing about their chemistry, per.
