United Cup to feature timeouts in mixed doubles fixtures from 2025 edition

The United Cup, with the tradition that kicked off in 2023, will commence the 2025 tennis season. Bringing innovation to the sport, the tournament has introduced tactical timeouts ahead of the upcoming edition. The regulation will mark its introduction in mixed-doubles matches at the upcoming season of the United Cup. The tournament brings together the ATP and WTA stars at the center stage with the players touring different Australian cities before heading to Melbourne for the season-starting Grand Slam event, the Australian Open. The tournament, similarly to the Brisbane International, provides a valuable opportunity for the tennis aces to hit the rhythm before competing in the all-important Grand Slam event.

Organizers aim to innovate United Cup with 'timeouts' in mixed doubles

The organizers of the United Cup announced on Friday that timeouts will be allowed in the mixed teams event. The detailed explanation informed that this rule will allow players or team captains to call for a 60-second timeout to discuss strategy by activating a prominent red buzzer located in the courtside team zone. Furthermore, the timeout can only be utilized during the serving team’s turn, but not between the first and second serves.

Each team will have the opportunity to call for just one timeout per match. However, this feature will be exclusive to mixed doubles and will not apply to singles matches. The United Cup features 18 nations and is slated to run from December 27 to January 5 in Perth and Sydney this season. The competition will showcase teams comprising three men and three women, with ties including men’s singles, women’s singles, and a potentially decisive mixed-doubles match.

This year’s edition introduces the tactical timeout as part of the organizers’ efforts to bring fresh elements to the game, as explained by the tournament director, Stephen Farrow. During mixed-doubles rubbers, players or captains can call for the timeout to refine their strategies beyond the usual discussions during changeovers. Once the red buzzer is pressed, the teams get 60 seconds to confer, followed by an additional 25 seconds to return to play. Timeouts come with certain restrictions like they can only be activated during a team’s service games and not when the opposition is serving. Additionally, they cannot be called between first and second serves.

“Timeouts initiate a pause in play, it’s a time for teams to discuss tactics and strategy and potentially change the momentum of a match,” explained Stephen Farrow. “We’re excited to see how the best tennis players in the world and their teams utilise this new tool. Innovation is at the core of everything we do at the United Cup and this is another example of leading the way and finding new ways to present the sport and engage our fans," he added.

The 2025 United Cup will be the third edition of the tournament. The United States and Germany emerged victorious in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Last year, the format shifted from a best-of-five rubber tie to a best-of-three, incorporating two singles matches and a potential mixed-doubles decider. Top players like Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, and Jasmine Paolini are set to participate. The event kicks off on December 27 with an opening tie between Kazakhstan and Spain in Perth.