World number one Jannik Sinner, who was forced to retire during the final of the Cincinnati Open, and playing partner Katerina Siniakova have withdrawn from the US Open mixed doubles draw, tournament organizers confirmed Tuesday.

The new event wanted to use singles stars to put mixed doubles on a pedestal. Two masters of the discipline have stolen the show.

Grand Slam singles champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys will be playing for a little extra money — OK, a lot of extra money, by any standard: $1 million to the winning duo — and trying to get their hands on a trophy in the U.S. Open’s overhauled mixed doubles tournament.

The US Open Mixed Doubles Championship finally introduced the revamp of the mixed doubles category on Tuesday. Thereby, stars collided and a new format was exhibited. However, can the tournament be declared a hit?

Viewers in the UK can watch the mixed doubles at the US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis. The event is being streamed on ESPN in the United States. The full 16-team field was decided by the top-8 singles rankings combined, and eight wildcard picks.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner, the defending champion in singles at Flushing Meadows, was supposed to compete in mixed doubles with Katerina Siniakova.

In the U.S. Open, the format is being redesigned as a popularity contest engineered to generate buzz.

Williams is a longtime resident of Palm Beach Gardens while Opelka has lived in the Delray Beach/Boca Raton area since he was a teenager.