Tennis is back in New York 🍎
How will fans react to Sinner, more farewells, popcorn first round matches
Hey everyone. It’s that time of a project (this substack) where I’m kind of stalling. Imagine this: Carlos Alcaraz defended his Wimbledon title, Novak Djokovic achieved his biggest sporting success winning the Olympic gold (his words, not mine) and world no. 1 Jannik Sinner apparently tested positive for a banned substance (twice) and those were not enough motivation for me to click on the ‘new post’ button here.
Yet, here I am. I don’t know if it’s the melancholy of entering the last Grand Slam of the season; but I finally feel the energy and will to write about the US Open — or at least my expectations from it.
There will not be draw previews this time around as I’m testing out new concepts that will hopefully strengthen my bond with the blog. These are my story lines from the upcoming US Open that I wished a docuseries crew could follow.
Will Jannik be treated as a sinner?
It was April 4th when Jannik Sinner found out that he failed a doping test. Thanks to his team of lawyers, he was one of the very few players who immediately got his provisional suspension lifted and could continue playing. In his first tournament after getting that (I want to believe) shocking news, he won Miami.
On August 15, right after his round of 32 match at Cincinnati, the independent tribunal gathered to make a decision on Sinner’s case. He was found to bearing no fault or negligence. At the end of that very distracting week, Sinner won his 2nd Masters title of the season.
He might have had things on his mind while playing those two big events, but at least no one knew about his case back then. Now, every single person who will fill the biggest tennis stadium in the world will be aware.
How will fans react to him? How will he intake that possible reaction? New ground for all of us and I’ll be tuning into that 1st round match. He will play Mackenzie McDonald on Arthur Ashe on Tuesday (around 2pm local time).
Will a man defend his title in New York?
Roger Federer won his 5th straight US Open title in 2008. Probably no one could have thought back then that a man would not defend his title for at least 15 years. Can Djokovic break that cycle?
He seems at peace and he is coming off of that incredibly emotional Olympic title. Which way will he go? A possible loss of focus or a complete relaxation that will help him produce his best tennis? He opens against Albot in the first day’s night session.
Tennis doesn’t stop, neither do farewells
Men’s final of the 2020 US Open was a hard watch as far as I can remember. Alexander Zverev went up 2-0 in sets against Dominic Thiem. With Zverev’s up-and-down performance in big matches up to that point and Thiem’s 7-2 head-to-head lead against his opponent, I remember tennis fans were ready for a 5-setter. And we did get that 5-set final — a match tiebreak decided the winner too. Thiem clinched his first and (unfortunately) only Grand Slam title after he won that tiebreak, 8-6.
Thiem celebrated his win and raised one of the biggest trophies in tennis in an apocalyptic setting. There were no fans in the stands in that COVID-impacted edition and flag holders of the trophy ceremony were wearing masks. Looking back, this feels like a kind of foreshadowing even Shakespeare couldn’t have come up with.
After that win, Thiem said he felt burnt out and lost earlier than expected at Roland Garros a month later (what a year that was). In the following spring, once dubbed ‘Prince of Clay’, he played his worst clay season with just 4 wins in 8 matches. And then came the injury. He suffered a wrist injury that launched his downfall. Finally, he decided to end his career this year; and the US Open will be his last Grand Slam event.
Thankfully US Open did not embarrass themselves like Roland Garros did and awarded a main draw wild card to the Austrian. His first round draw against last year’s semi finalist American Ben Shelton sealed the center court assignment. Thiem and Shelton will open Arthur Ashe today (Aug 26, 12:00 local time), and it’s time we say proper goodbye to that hammer of a backhand.
A more exciting goodbye
I don’t remember a farewell season like that of Danielle Collins’s. Players’ career ends usually are dictated by their physical health. In rare cases like Ash Barty’s, they will stop all of a sudden. Danielle Collins, being her ever-authentic self, announced during Australian Open that 2024 would be her final season.
After joining the ranks of professional tennis at 24 years old, she found immediate success (reaching the semis of her native Miami Open). To the only 7 seasons she played, she managed to fit in a Grand Slam final (2022 Australian Open, lost to Barty), a Grand Slam semi final (2019 Australian Open, lost to Petra Kvitova), a Masters 1000 trophy (Miami 2024).
Her final season has been her best yet outside Grand Slams. During the first 3 majors of the year, she didn’t have the best luck to be fair. In Australia, she lost to world no. 1 Iga Swiatek, 6-4 in the 3rd. At Wimbledon, she lost to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova in round of 16. Everyone is ready for a big splash but her draw isn’t that easier in New York; she could face in-form players Diana Shnaider and Jessica Pegula before quarter finals. But why not? This is Dan-yell.
Her interview with Tennis Insider Club is a great listen.
Popcorn 1st round matches
Let’s finish it off with some great opening round matches:
Jelena Ostapenko (10) vs. Naomi Osaka — This one needs no introduction. Ostapenko, who beat Swiatek here last year, against 2-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka, who has been waiting for this tournament since the her return started in January.
Mirra Andreeva (21) vs. Camila Osorio — They played an amazing final qualifying round match at Roland Garros last year. Both crafty players. Andreeva is in-form and a better player on hard courts; but still, this could be a great watch.
Emma Raducanu vs. Sofia Kenin — Their trophies might feel like lightyears ago; but these two are two Grand Slam champions. Raducanu is returning to New York after missing it last year. Let’s see if Kenin can produce her own best; then, we can have a match.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (11) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis — Their only previous match went to 5 sets in Australia. With Tsitsipas’s lack of results in New York, this might be another long one.
Jack Draper (25) vs. Zhang Zhizhen — Two talented players. Bad luck that they have to face other this early.
Holger Rune (15) vs. Brandon Nakashima — Rune who missed match point to go to Cincinnati finals will face Nakashima. The American beat Fritz, Paul, Fils and Shapovalov in his last two tournaments. This has got to be good.
READY… PLAY.
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Wishing everybody a great US Open. You can find me on Twitter here.
— Gökalp
