Bill Simons
New York
BIG BEN, BIG FOE, BIG APPLE, BIG SHOW: Recent Grand Slams have started off with sizzling starts. At the French Open, Rafa Nadal faced Alexander Zverev in the first round. The start of Wimbledon this year was all about the end of Andy Murray’s career. And Friday the world’s biggest tennis arena, Arthur Ashe stadium, will feature a compelling match, when America’s two most charismatic male players since Andy Roddick will face off. Southpaw Ben Shelton, No. 13, has a 2-0 lead over Tiafoe, who is No. 20. And, while Frances has struggled this year, he did reach the Washington semis and the Cincy final.
TENNIS’ THOUGHTFUL KAREN CALLS FOR LESS HATE, MORE LOVE: After playing longest match in US Open history and losing to Dan Evans, Karen Kachanov wrote:
“I had one of the toughest matches in my career. I woke up today with the feeling that I was beaten up with a bat. I had cramps all over my body…I am extremely devastated…It is extremely difficult to cope with this mentally.
“Professional sport is often associated with mental strength, but not many people tell you about this mental fatigue, burnout, self-criticism and a feeling of desperation. Please, I am asking you to be respectful. Don’t strike a man when he is down…I will be grateful for all the support that I get. Let’s be kind to one another. Less hate and more love, and the world will become a better place.”
THE MAN WHO CAN’T NOT SET RECORDS: It’s hard for Novak Djokovic not to set records. Now he’s become the first man to win at least 90 matches at all of the Slams.
WHAT’S UP WITH RYBAKINA? At this year’s French Open, the 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina challenged reporters to ask more interesting questions. Now a lot of questions are swirling above the No. 4 in the world. Just before the Open, Elena split with her long-time coach Stefano Vukov, and Thursday she became the first Top 5 player at the US Open to withdraw since 2000. This is her eighth withdrawal.
She’s faced gastrointestinal problems in numerous tournaments, and she’s suffered from nerves and sleep problems. The 25-year-old, who lost in the Wimbledon semis to Barbora Krejcikova, often travels with her sister. Reportedly she’s under pressure from Kazakhstani authorities, who have invested greatly in her career.
THE BILLIONAIRE POPULIST: Jessica Pegula, whose parents are worth about $8 billion, is taking the subway to the US Open because it’s faster. BTW: When you are at the subway station, you hear constant reminders from Andy Roddick and Patrick McEnroe saying riding the subway is the fastest way to get to the US Open.
‘SOME PEOPLE ARE SICK’ – JANNIK SINNER: After Jannik Sinner’s win over American Alex Michelsen today, Inside Tennis asked the Italian what he’s learned by going through all the drama relating to failing two drug tests.
He replied, “It helps me to see who my friends are and who are not my friends. This is all part of a growing experience, no?
“I wish nobody has this experience to grow…But you also realize that there is a life outside of tennis.
“Then you see that some people – they are sick. There are different things that come in my mind. I said, ‘Okay, tennis is big for me because it showed me what I am as a person and how important the sport is, but there is a life outside of tennis, which is even more important.’ Trying to be healthy and surrounding yourself with good people. That for me, it is more important.
“I believe that I’ve grown as a person during this period, regardless of how everything is going, which hopefully can help me in the future.”
NO KIDDING: Novak Djokovic, 37, quipped, “I am not 21 any more.”…Mackie McDonald noted, “The tours are not united enough to collaborate without egos and money getting involved.”…Holger Rune suggested, “A certain amount of darkness is needed to enjoy the daylight.”
THE BEAUTY OF PAIN? Madison Keys has won eight titles and reached No. 7 in the world. But she’s also suffered crushing defeats. In 2017, she lost in the US Open final. After she fell in the 2023 US Open semis, she left in tears. This July, she again wept, when a devastating injury derailed her just as she was about to score a huge Wimbledon win.
Reflecting on all this pain, she told ESPN, “It’s a beautiful part of the sport. There’s always a winner and a loser. There are 128 players in a tournament, but only one winner. You have to find the positives in every tournament. I’ve always tried to be very honest and leave everything out there – so that’s why I often leave in tears.”
DANCING BACKWARDS IN HEELS: Decades ago, actress Ginger Rogers would dance with the singular Fred Astaire. She drew accolades for her onscreen performances, pulling off dazzling dance moves backward and in heels. These days, Elina Svitolina is the WTA’s answer to Rogers. She’s doing it all. She’s putting up solid results on court. She’s No. 28. She’s a new mother and she’s a huge supporter of Ukraine’s battle for survival. Friday she faces Coco Gauff.
STATS SHEET: Novak Djokovic has won more matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium then any other man…Alex Michelsen, 20, is the youngest American to reach the Top 50 since Sam Querrey in 2007…Stan Wawrinka, 39, became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam match since Jimmy Connors…Seb Korda and his father Petr became the first father-son duo to both make it into the top 20.
TIAFOE PICKS SEB: A reporter took note of America’s great cadre of young players – Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Seb Korda – and then asked Frances Tiafoe who, of the young Americans, excluding himself, would most likely be America’s next male Grand Slam champion. Of course, the good-natured Tiafoe was unhappy he couldn’t choose himself. Then he picked Seb Korda, because the 24-year-old has such a complete game. And Brad Gilbert also chose the lean Floridian to become America’s next male Slam champ. But Thursday, Korda went down tamely to Czech Tomas Machac, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
TEENS HUMBLED: It was a rough 20 hours for phenomenal teens – but understandable. Iva Jovic, 16, who was playing in her first WTA tourney, eventually fell in three long sets to the No. 29 seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova. But then the bound-for-stardom 17-year-old, Mirra Andreeva, the No. 21 seed, suffered a shock upset to American Ashlyn Krueger, 6-1, 6-4. Based in Dallas, Krueger won the Orange Bowl a few years back and has a win over Donna Vekic. Like Maria Sharapova and Jessica Pegula before her, Ashlyn is working with Michael Joyce. But she was 0-6 in Slams before the Open. Now she’s through to the third round, where she’ll face No. 16 Liudmila Samsonova. Krueger, who’s 20, loves art and is into reading. The way she’s been playing, we feel we’re going to be reading about her for quite a while.
NISSAN’S QUEST, NAOMI’S QUEST: Naomi Osaka says she so often wears Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 Laker jersey, “because I can kind of keep his spirit with me.”
She then explained why she loves playing on Louis Armstrong Stadium: it’s named after the legendary jazz icon they called Satchmo. Naomi explained, “I feel this court is my home. It gives me so much more confidence. I step on the court knowing that I probably have the most wins in the field maybe…It’s a combination of different things. Just remembering my sister and I grew up near here…Seeing kids watching me play, and remembering that I was a kid…made me very emotional…Seeing the stadium really full meant a lot…The US Open gave me the best moments as a kid…I remember going into our Nissan Quest…and sliding the door, and being so pumped to get to see all my favorite players.”
JASMINE’S JOY: ESPN noted, “Jasmine continues to delight us with her joy that she finds in her game…Two years ago she was outside the 250. Now she’s as likable as it gets.” Thursday she only had to play three points before Karolina Pliskova retired due to an ankle injury.
DON’T OVERTHINK IT: As Iga Swiatek struggled to win her first-round match, commentator Rennae Stubbs said that the Pole “over-analyzes way too much. Her feet don’t connect with her hands. Her head moves too much.” But Thursday the Pole visited her bakery, downing Japan’s Ena Shibahara 6-0, 6-1.
Also reporting: Vinay Venkatesh
