These Are The Fireworks On Display at This Year’s U.S. Open

This is an article “These Are The Fireworks On Display at This Year’s U.S. Open” by Marc Pulisci

Since failing to secure a gold medal (let alone a bronze) in the recent Tokyo Olympics, world number 1 Novak Djokovic’s hopes of being the 2nd tennis player to achieve a Golden Slam is out of the question. However, it seems that the current top seed has his eyes on a Calendar Grand Slam and is on his way to becoming the 3rd in men’s singles to do so after greats Don Budge and Rod Laver in this year’s U.S. Open.

After winning the titles in this year’s Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, Djokovic competes in the last major tournament of the year which he had won three times in the past. His last U.S. Open trophy came in 2018 against Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina who he defeated in straight sets. With his shocking loss at the Olympics, is Djokovic in the proper mindset to dominate this year’s tournament?

For that and other action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, let’s look at what fireworks unfolded in this year’s U.S. Open.

Osaka return dampened

After capturing her second U.S. Open title last year against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, ATP women’s singles number 1 Naomi Osaka returned to defend her title. Unfortunately, she fell short, losing her composure against Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada who took the third round win 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.

During the match, Osaka threw her racket and even sent a ball flying into the stands due to her frustration. The latter earned her a code violation and everything else went downhill for the defending champion from there.

Going into the tournament, Osaka failed to reach a quarterfinal slot since Miami in March. But with a record of 17 wins and 2 losses in the first round of the Grand Slams, most fans were already expecting her to improve her numbers by the time the U.S. Open starts.

However, Osaka told reporters during the post-match interview how winning matches was not as exciting for her anymore and that she needed another break, not knowing if she’ll even return to the sport. This is a shocking turn as previously she had expressed her joy to be in New York once again to vie for her fifth Grand Slam title prior to the start of the tournament.

For those following Osaka’s career, it’s not that difficult to process how recent controversies about her activism on social issues concerning the death of Jacob Blake, her reluctant stance against mandatory media assignments, and the bouts of depression and anxiety that made her bow out of this year’s French Open probably contributed to her decision to hang up the towel yet again. Fans could only hope that the champion reconsiders and doesn’t throw her shot at greatness this early in her career.

The Tsitsipas-Murray tension

Apparently, veteran Andy Murray is always ready for battle on and off court, while the object of his annoyance is directed at one of the sport’s rising superstars.

Tennis bad boy Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece showed both fine and questionable displays at this year’s U.S. Open which further fueled the fire in Brit Andy Murray. While the Greek displayed excellent form during his match with Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the second round, his consistent toilet break antics didn’t sit well with anyone and much more with Murray.

Murray had told reporters how he lost respect for Tsitsipas during their nearly five-hour U.S. Open match where the latter also took an eight-minute bathroom break. According to Murray, this influenced his game and is one of the reasons why he lost the grueling five-set match 2-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

After the Tsitsipas-Mannarino match, Murray was quick to turn to social media and ask if anything interesting happened overnight in the U.S. Open. This would be his second jab at the Greek after he tweeted how “Tsitsipas takes twice as long in the toilet than it is for Jeff Bazos (sic) to fly into space,” then ending his insight with “Interesting” right after their match.

While tennis legend Mats Wilander and world number 90 Reilly Opelka supported the Greek and his unorthodox ways saying that he did nothing wrong, how the crowd booed Tsitsipas as he went for his second toilet break against Mannarino says it all for everyone. Tsitsipas received more flak from fans during his post-game press conference as he retaliated with his own jab at Murray’s own bathroom break against Novak Djokovic in their 2012 U.S. Open final match, only to be informed that that bathroom break only lasted in less than three minutes. This prompted one social media fan to wonder how the Greek player didn’t have the time to Google search this information during his longer bathroom breaks.

It was a hard run for Tsitsipas who made an early exit after Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz defeated the world number 3 in the third round 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5). But with tensions running high between Tsitsipas and Murray, their next face-off on the court should be an ‘interesting’ one.

Novak’s shot at legacy

While his two fiercest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are sitting out this year’s U.S. Open, many might be quick to assume that world number 1 Novak Djokovic is a shoo-in for the title. There’s no question how Djokovic can easily enter the finals with his impressive and dominant performance throughout the year, but there are still some big-name competitors to watch out for.

After marching into the quarterfinals to go up once again against Italian Matteo Berrettini, who he defeated in Wimbledon last July. With Daniil Medvedev advancing to the semifinal round after beating Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp with a 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 victory, fans might soon see a finals match that pits the current ATP world number 1 and 2 against each other.

Medvedev is certainly hungry for his first Grand Slam title, but Djokovic is taking his shot at legacy as well, so it all boils down to one question: who is more focused to win the title? We’ll all know the answer in a few days and can certainly expect an epic Final, in the meantime.