The U.S. Open; a famous Grand Slam that draws the attention of millions of people. In 2018, 7.3 million viewers watched the U.S. Open final on TV. Hundreds of thousands watch this event in person. However, the COVID 19 pandemic has changed how we view, and how players participate in, sports.
The US Open is the most popular of the tennis events in America, taking place yearly in New York. In 2020, COVID 19 safety protocols reduced the usually extravagant event to its bare bones. Many popular players such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Bianca Andreescu, Ashleigh Barty, Nick Kyrgios, Simona Halep, sat out this years’ event.. This was a shock to many, as these players usually attend Grand Slams every year. With some of the most talented players deciding to stay home, the outcome was greatly shifted. Of course, a few big players still participated, including Domenic Theim and Naomi Osaka; who ended up winning the tournament. This years’ winners are highly skilled, however, one must question how these players would have held up against those who sat out this year. Emma Raducanu won the 2021 U.S. Open singles, winning every one of her sets. Raducanu was also the first qualifier to ever win the tournament, leaving a lasting impression. Raducanu, who is 18 years old, has only played in two Grand Slams, while her opponent from the finals, Leylah Fernendez, 19 years old, has played in 7 Grand Slams. Fernendez beat Naomi Osaka in the third round, while of course the loss was substantial for Osaka, it also brought attention to the young player. Osaka is a rising star, having won four Grand Slams since 2018. Fernedez also had a great battle against Raducanu. This causes us to once again question whether a less experienced player could have won this year against bigger players like Serena Williams. One benefit of the more popular players sitting out this year, is that lesser-known players had a chance to make their mark. One example is Daniel Medvedev. Medvedev, although quite well-known in the tennis world, won the 2021 US Open, which was his very first Grand Slam win.
Due to COVID, there were no cheering fans last year. But, this year stadiums went back to 100% capacity. However, some big players still didn’t play.
One of the most missed players, Roger Federer, who is currently ranked number 9 in the entire world, didn’t play. Likely to retire soon, forty-year-old Fedrerer sat out this year’s Grand Slam due to injury. Federer has 20 Grand Slams titles; tied with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are neck in neck for the world record for Grand Slam titles; in the battle for the number one tennis player in the world. Due to the absence of Nadal and Federer during the pandemic, Novak was able to catch up and reach 20 titles. The race between these top players is becoming more contentious, as more tournaments approach; the race will continue to see who beat the world record first.
Although many COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the absence of some of the world’s biggest players greatly shifted the outcome of the U.S. Open, as well as the experiences of players and fans.
Written by Kaylee Tasin of Cabin John Middle School
Graphic by Tanya Paul of Richard Montgomery High School