Andrew Krasny on live music taking bigger role at tennis tournaments.
The BNP Paribas Open Stadium MC shares his thoughts on the expanded role of live music that we’re seeing in tennis.
Mixed doubles is back at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open, and the tournament is upping the prize money for the winners from $250,000 to $1 million. That’s obviously substantial.
The design in upping the prize money is to entice players to stick around for the second week of the tournament, rather than head off to Miami for the next event, if they’re no longer in the singles draw. While many of the big names are still playing singles late into the second week, rarely are all of them.
So, that could mean that we may be seeing some of the big names sticking around to play mixed doubles. They may play in that format even if still playing in singles. The money could be that enticing.
With that in mind, we began exploring which pairings we’d love to see. So, we came up with a top three that would create some must-watch matches.
For what it’s worth, none of these three teams have every played together in a mixed doubles format at an actual event. That makes seeing them play together in Indian Wells unlikely. But hey, we can dream, can’t we?
These are the top three teams we want to see, ranked from 3 to 1.
3. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) and Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
First off, the level of sheer intensity with these two would make for an absurdly entertaining pairing. Imagine Djokovic’s unmatched anticipation skills and return mastery paired with Sabalenka’s undeniable power and unrelenting aggression. These would suffocate opponents with a non-stop assault in the return game, and their confidence would be unmatched.
Seeing how their personalities might mesh or clash would also make for an entertaining subplot.
2. Jannik Sinner (Italy) and Coco Gauff (United States)
The combination of these two might actually make the best pairing of the trio listed here. Sinner brings that well-established stone-cold execution and Gauff would compliment that with her electric athleticism and defensive brilliance. Mentally, Sinner brings that calm precision that would pair nicely with Gauff’s vocal leadership.
We see this pairing as brutally efficient but still undeniably exciting. Sinner is a bit of a quiet assassin on the court, whereas Gauff is a fearless competitor. They’d be so fun to watch together.
1. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) and Iga Świątek (Poland)
This is our ultimate dream pairing. These two would play off each other beautifully, as Alcaraz is a master at shot-creating chaos and improvisation and Świątek would contrast that with her elite focus and efficiency.
Together, the two would offer fans an electrifying blend of playful creativity and surgical precision. With this pairing, fans would see some insane net poaching, disguised drop shots and a relentless energy in the return game.
Can you imagine?
Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected].
