Eric Butorac, one of the main minds behind the The successful and controversial US Open mixed doubles competition earlier this year, will become the tournament director, the USTA announced Monday,
Butorac replaces Stacey Allaster, a longtime tennis executive who served as both tournament director and head of professional tennis. Allaster will leave the organization next year to continue his philanthropic efforts in tennis and other areas. Butorac’s role will be solely for the tournament, which continues to grow from a two-week competition to a destination event lasting nearly three weeks.
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Working with Allaster, Butorac helped reinvent the mixed doubles competition, reducing it to a standalone two-day event with more than $1 million in prize money. Using financial incentives and the lure of a convenient singles warm-up, he worked to recruit the sport’s biggest names, including Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek, Novak Djokovic and Amanda Anisimova.
He was criticized for avoiding and excluding doubles players from the tour, especially after doubles specialists. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori defended their title by defeating Świątek and Casper Ruud in front of 24,000 fans at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Yet the event significantly raised the profile of a competition that had become an afterthought. It also received rave reviews from the singles players who participated.
In an interview Monday, Butorac said he expects the 2026 US Open schedule to play out similarly to this year’s.
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“We will see a similar format,” he said. “We are looking at how we can perhaps expand to provide opportunities for a few more teams, either through a larger draw or through potential qualifiers.”
The men’s final, he said, would likely start at 2 p.m., or at least that was the plan this year, until additional security measures for President Donald Trump forced organizers to delay the start as fans headed toward the stadium.
Butorac said his experience as a player would help inform how he handles the year’s Grand Slam final, catering to the needs of both elite players and doubles specialists as he was during his career.
“It’s hard to come to New York at the end of a Grand Slam season, when the players are tired and a little beat up, and New York is a really stressful city,” he said.
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“It’s an exciting and great city, but we have a real responsibility to take care of these players because we’re at the end of the season and we don’t always have them at their best. We have to go above and beyond, because of that.”
Butorac’s announcement comes amid a busy season for the USTA. It is expected to announce a new general manager by the end of the year to replace Lew Sherr, who left the organization to run business operations for the New York Mets.
Additionally, the USTA has sued developers of a proposed casino near the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, arguing that it violates the organization’s lease with New York City. Steve Cohen, the owner of the Mets, is one of the leaders of the company that wants to build the casino. On Monday, a judge temporarily blocked the city from continuing development of the casino pending a hearing on the USTA suit next month.
This article was originally published in Athletics.
Sports Affairs, Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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