Mixed doubles

Mixed doubles is played the same as doubles, but with one man and one woman per team. This form of tennis is rare in the professional game because the men’s and women’s tours are organised separately (by the ATP and WTA, respectively).

However, all four Grand Slam tournaments hold a mixed doubles competition, alongside the men’s and women’s doubles, featuring many of the same players. There is also an annual mixed tournament for national teams, the Hopman Cup, which includes mixed doubles matches. Additionally, there have been mixed doubles events at the Summer Olympics on various occasions (In 1900, from 1912 until 1920 and again since 2012).

While players are gradually less competitive in singles by their late 20s and early 30s, they can still continue competitively in doubles and mixed doubles (as instanced by Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe, who won doubles titles in their 40s).