Bill Simons
New York
Reflections on Billionaire Populists, Stinky Shoes, Slow Swifties and Bridges over Troubled Waters.
RED, WHITE AND WHEW! Amazingly, for the first time since 2003, America got four players to the semis. Plus, Tommy Paul and Brandon Nakashima reached the fourth round.
HEADLINES:
Is Sinner a Sinner?
No Way for Nole
Some Enchanted Iva
The Guns of Navarro
There’s No Business Like Foe business
We Thought We Spotted a Duke, Then Draper Had to Puke
Is Fritz Taylor-Made for History?
SETTING THE TABLE: The early shock upsets that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic suffered changed everything.
SWIFTIES AND NOT-SO-SWIFTIES: In the men’s final, as Taylor Swift looked on, Taylor Fritz wasn’t swift enough.
GOOD STAT, BAD STAT: For the first time, over a million fans came to the US Open. Coco Gauff double faulted 19 times against Emma Navarro.
THE BEST FEELING EVERYONE SHOULD EXPERIENCE: After her US Open win, Aryna Sabalenka fell flat on her back in ecstasy. She recalled, “I don’t know how to describe that feeling. You’re crying, you’re laughing, you feel all these emotions at the same time. That’s the best feeling. I really wish everyone can experience that.”
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS: In an empty corridor deep in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Frances Tiafoe and his agent, Jill Smoller, walked arm in arm, consoling each other after Frances’s devastating semifinal loss to Taylor Fritz.
NICKNAME OF THE TOURNAMENT: After Naomi Osaka wore a bow on court she was dubbed Naomi Bow-Saka.
FOND FAREWELLS: Dominic Thiem, Danielle Collins, Diego Schwartzman, Donald Young and Shelby Rogers played their last Opens. BTW, Mary Carillo once said Rogers is “the kindest, sweetest person in the history of civilization.” And, what are the odds that Rafa will ever play the Open again?
THE PERFECT MAN: After he spotted Roger Federer in Ashe Stadium, Frances Tiafoe observed, “The way he looked in the suite was the same way he looked when he was playing. No sweating. T-shirts ironed perfect, hair perfect. What’s up with this dude?”
A STAR IS BORN: While Californian Iva Jovic, 16, who made it to the second round, was America’s breakout player of the Open, semifinalist Emma Navarro, 23, made it clear she’s bound for stardom.
FOREVER YOUNG AND TOWNSEND: The feel-good doubles result of the Open was Taylor Townsend and Donald Young reaching the mixed doubles final.
CARLOS ALCARAZ IS ‘NOT DOING WELL:’ After losing early, the seemingly ascendant Carlos Alcaraz reflected on his life, with a maturity beyond his years, “I feel like I’ve taken steps backwards mentally and…I’ve taken steps backwards…I’m not strong. I don’t know how to control myself…I have to see what’s going on. It’s been a very emotional summer…I’ve had my moments of disconnection…I need more time. I have to get to know myself…Maybe I’m the kind of person who…demands too much of himself mentally.”
WHAT A MESS: Our messiest recollection of the Open was Jack Draper vomiting three times on court. The Brit stated the obvious: “I’m definitely an anxious human being.” Speaking of messes, Tiafoe joked that his courtside pile of sweaty shirts was “so disgusting over there. It’s like a little kid’s room…It’s a disgrace.”
WEIRD: There’s a lot of talk about weird these days. Draper added to the narrative, saying, “I missed Andy Murray in the changing rooms. I missed his stinky shoes and stinky clothes.”
GOOD NEWS – HIGHER FORCES ARE AT WORK: Djokovic said, “I actually believe in destiny…Higher forces are at play…In certain stages of your life and career.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SIZZLE: Sure, in 1999, Rancho Palos Verdes’ Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport both won Wimbledon. Still, this year’s Open was one of the best Slams in memory for Southern California. Fritz, Nakashima and Jovic all excelled.
LITERARY NOTES: The US Open had its literary side. When reflecting on Jannik Sinner’s positive drug tests, Rafa’s uncle Toni quoted the German poet Goethe: “Wickedness needs no reason. A pretext is enough.” Iga Swiatek was reading the classic book “Out of Africa.” But then she was out of the Open.
FAMILY FEUD: Stefanos Tsitsipas is suing his former physio for claiming their family dynamic was unhealthy.
GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME: Madison Keys said she and her fiancé/coach Bjorn Frantangelo were so focused on tennis that they forgot about their fall wedding plans. Ukrainian women’s doubles champion Lyudmyla Kichenok was so busy winning that she had to postpone her wedding.
MEDIA MATTERS: Due to corporate money disputes, the US Open was blacked out in New York in 2023. This year it was blocked in California…ESPN and the USTA have extended their media rights through 2037.
YOU GOTTA LOVE THAT BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR: And the award for the billionaire populist of the Open goes to the appealing Jessica (family net worth $7.7 billion) Pegula, who rode the subway to the Open. How wonderful is it that such a wealthy woman is so earthy and fun?
A TRULY USELESS FINANCIAL EXERCISE: Comparing the wealth of billionaire daughters Pegula and Navarro.
FAN WEEK IS NOT WEAK: Fan Week, the potpourri of events before the Open begins, is becoming a happening thing.
HAPPY TALK: Pat McEnroe commented, “It kind of feels like a happy hour all day at the Open.”
QUIET AND NOT SO QUIET CURSES: The quiet curse of the Open was Olympic fatigue. None of the Paris medalists did well, and Open winners Sinner and Sabalenka skipped the Olympics. Speaking of curses, “Court’s Curse” remains unbroken. Djokovic failed to break Margaret Court’s record of 24 Slam singles titles. And, as we know far too well, it will now be 22 years without an American male Grand Slam winner.
But props to both Pegula and Fritz, who previously failed in ten quarterfinals, but at the Open broke through, and made it to their first Slam final.
REBEL WITH A CAUSE: After Yulia Putintseva was incredibly rude to her, a US Open ball girl retreated to the far corner of the court and looked down, and wouldn’t have a thing to do with the insensitive Kazakh.
PHONE KARMA: Last year, after Ben Shelton downed Frances Tiafoe, he famously gestured and hung up the phone. This year, when Shelton was explaining in his press conference what went wrong after his quarterfinal loss to Tiafoe, his phone rang. It was his dad Bryan. And Shelton hung up his phone.
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Alexander Zverev remains the greatest active player to have never won a Slam.
LEST WE FORGET: Upset artists Botic Van de Zandschulp and Alexei Popyrin will always have the 15 minutes of fame they earned at this year’s sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful US Open.
Also reporting: Vinay Venkatesh
