How Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani have found themselves at the forefront of a doubles revolution

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori pose with the 2025 US Open mixed doubles trophy. (Getty/Matthew Stockman)

The US Open mixed doubles tournament captivated the tennis world with full stands and scintillating play between household names and rising stars. Yet, arguably the biggest shock for many was the defending champions, Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani, who specialise in doubles, stunned the top singles players to take the crown in an emotional moment on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After some pointed remarks by both in the trophy ceremony, where they said that they were doing this for all the doubles players who were excluded from the event after the format shift, debate has erupted online about the place of doubles specialists, both in mixed doubles and more broadly.

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In a way, the conversation is more nuanced than both sides would have it seem. Doubles advocates believe that this shows that doubles players are better at doubles than singles players, whereas singles fans believe that the fact that Vavassori and Errani needed a match tiebreak to take down Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud, who never trained together before the tournament, shows that if the singles stars trained, they would dominate the doubles players.

The fact is that Errani and Vavassori are probably the only true specialist mixed doubles team out there, having played all six mixed doubles tournaments this year, including the four Grand Slams, as well as the United Cup and Indian Wells. They went unbeaten in four of these tournaments, losing only at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. They are one of the few teams that train specifically for mixed doubles and take it seriously.

The First Serve interviewed Errani and Vavassori at the United Cup earlier in the year, where they spoke in depth about the level of strategy that goes into their mixed doubles play, and how their games match up particularly well in the discipline.

"I think mixed doubles is a little bit different from doubles," said Vavassori. "Also, at the beginning, I was struggling a little bit to understand the game. I also try to speak with the women and ask their point of view. Because for a man it's always tough because you don't know at the beginning if you have to go full or, like, if you go not so much, they are so good at playing tennis.

"Also, Sara is so good at the net. She's playing unbelievable volleys. If you don't go full, you lose. I think also the women that play mixed doubles enjoy playing against men, so I think that also from their point of view, you have to go 100 per cent. You have to understand the game… I think I really enjoy playing mixed doubles. With Sara, I love to play with her [because of] her competitiveness. We combine very well."

The pair also revealed that they have specific tactics for taking down singles players.

"It's not easy, of course," said Errani. "Maybe single players can hit strong, serve better, but I think it's also important to have a good idea playing doubles. Also, mixed doubles, it's important to have good tactics, thinking a bit more, try to play a double and not two singles. I think that can be helpful for us.

"I think in mixed doubles it's very important the game when the women serve because the guys have to move a lot," added Vavassori. "We love to study ways, like to make damage. So, it's very nice to play with Sara because she's very intelligent and wise on the court, so we can speak about it every point, like trying to make our game. I think it's effective in the long term. It's nice to talk about tactics every point."

By contrast, before the mixed doubles revamp, many doubles players did not take mixed doubles seriously, with countless players brushing it off during interviews. It is only since their position in the sport has been threatened that their enthusiasm has risen so sharply.

The consequence of this is twofold.

First, it demonstrates that it is not a given that other scratch mixed doubles teams made up of doubles specialists would beat singles stars. Errani and Vavassori showed that they could beat the singles players (in most cases, handily), but they also beat the doubles teams handily. They are an extraordinary mixed doubles team, the likes of which probably haven't been seen since Martina Hingis and Leander Paes teamed up.

Second, it further reinforces that to not include teams like Errani and Vavassori in a draw that is solely made up of singles stars would dilute the competition beyond recognition. The draw needs the singles players for the crowds and teams like Errani and Vavassori for the credibility.

The Italian duo have been outspoken about the fact that doubles players require more marketing, and in essence, they have proven this with their performance. Playing in front of packed stadiums that were not coming to see them, they electrified the crowds with their enthusiasm and incredible skills. They proved themselves to be the marketable stars that doubles need. Anyone who watches them cannot help but be swept up by their enthusiasm and passion.

As a result, they have now found themselves at the forefront of a doubles revolution. The doubles game is at an inflexion point, and there is now a whole new audience who know about Vavassori and Errani after their mixed doubles success. They are now the face of a movement that probably did not even exist before them. They are extremely marketable and could very much become a crowd-pleasing feature of tennis tournaments, much like Mansour Brahimi in the legends.

It is incumbent on tennis to take advantage of this opportunity and promote them, whether it be through promotional videos, documentaries and the like. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

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There was a great deal of hype around this mixed doubles event, but much of this was due to the unknown of the concept. It was a huge success and a riveting watch, but as the hype dies down and the big stars begin to move away from the tournament (or approach it with less enthusiasm), crowds will also begin to lose interest.

There are only two ways that can be addressed.

The first would be to include retired stars in the draw, like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and the Bryan Brothers. This poses a few questions: Would they play? Who would they play with? Would it even be competitive enough to make a match after being retired for many years?

The second would be to market bona fide stars like Errani and Vavassori so that doubles becomes a self-preserving product. The building blocks are there, but tennis has ignored them for so long.

As coach of doubles players Henry Patten and Harri Heliövaara, Calvin Betton told The First Serve at the 2025 Australian Open: "The product is excellent, [the Tours] just don't want to market it, and I think it comes from greed, from the singles players wanting more of the pot of money when they're already making an absolute fortune."

Last week has shown the tennis world that indeed, the product is there. It is now up to the respective Tours to make a change and market two stars who have handed the ingredients on a platter to the tennis world.

The question remains: Will the governing bodies finally take notice?

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