Aryna Sabalenka recently revealed that Grigor Dimitrov was the one who approached her to partner up for the mixed doubles event at the 2025 US Open. This year, the Belarusian will be defending her singles title at the New York Major after winning it in 2024 by defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.
The newly revamped mixed doubles competition is scheduled on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, 2025, during US Open Fan Week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This year, the event will feature a fresh format, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) already announced several pairings, including the duo of Sabalenka and Dimitrov.
Aryna Sabalenka Reveals How Grigor Dimitrov Asked Her To Partner Up for US Open 2025 Mixed Doubles
Sabalenka is currently competing at the 2025 Berlin Tennis Open, where she is the top seed. After receiving a first-round bye, she began her campaign in the second round, defeating qualifier Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6(6). She advanced to the quarterfinals, where she is set to face Elena Rybakina.
During the post-match press conference following her victory over Masarova, Sabalenka revealed that it was Dimitrov who initially reached out to her, asking her to partner with him for the mixed doubles at the upcoming US Open. Although at first she dismissed the idea, she ultimately agreed after Dimitrov “begged” her to join him.
“He was just like texting me non-stop. He was begging me to play, and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to play.’ But he was begging and I was like, ‘Ok, you got it,'” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka admitted that she was unaware of the new mixed doubles format, as no one had previously approached her about it. However, she and Dimitrov discussed the opportunity and decided to team up for the tournament earlier this year, shortly after the Australian Open.
“He messaged me, and I didn’t really know about the mixed doubles situation at the US Open. I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Why would we play mixed doubles?’ And he was like explaining to me how it was before the US Open.”
“So I was like, ‘But nobody approached me, so I don’t know if I am invited.’ So we figured, and yeah, we decided probably straight after the Australian Open,” she added.
Dimitrov’s best performance at the US Open came in 2019 when he reached the semifinals in singles. During that run, he triumphed over Andreas Seppi, Borna Ćorić, Kamil Majchrzak, Alex de Minaur, and Roger Federer to reach the semifinals. There, he lost to eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
Sabalenka Won the US Open Doubles Title in 2019
Sabalenka’s best result in the US Open doubles came in 2019 when she clinched the title alongside her partner, Elise Mertens. The duo entered the tournament as the fourth seed and began their campaign with a straight sets victory over Anna Blinkova and Wang Yafan, winning the match 6-3, 6-4.
Sabalenka and Mertens overcame KarolÃna Muchová and Jil Teichmann 7-6(1), 6-3, and the pair of Viktorija Golubic and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, the pair triumphed over the 12th-seeded Chinese team of Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3. In their semifinal match, they registered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over American duo Caroline Dolehide and Vania King, securing their place in the final.
In the championship match, Sabalenka and Mertens faced off against the eighth-seeded pair of Ashleigh Barty and Victoria Azarenka and defeated them 7-5, 7-5 to win the 2019 US Open women’s doubles title, both earning their first Grand Slam doubles title.
