ATP
US Open too hot to handle
US Open officials have been closing the roof during the day as part of a “heat policy” to make it cooler.
But the opposite has happened because the closed areas has become more humid for the players – just check out Daniel Medvedev during his quarterfinal win over Andrey Rublev.
Soaking in sweat as the temperature neared 35 Celsius Medvedev looked into a courtside camera and issued what sounded like a mix between a warning and a plea.
“You cannot imagine,” he said. “One player (is) gonna die, and they’re gonna see.”
Medvedev even used an inhaler during the second-set.
“At the end of the first set, I couldn’t see the ball anymore,” he added.
Under a new rule the USTA closed the retractable Ashe roof to provide some additional protection from the sun, but the shadows it caused made it hard to see the balls as they zipped through the air.
Others, including media, have complained about the humidity, but no one has listened to the issue, like no one has listened to the criticism of midnight hour tennis – with games ending at 2am.
Aryna Sabalenka wasn’t too worried though.
“It was hot, but because I did my preparation in Florida — I mean, what can be worse than Florida? I mean, in July and June,”she said.
Ironically, the US Open officials said during the week they were conducting a mental health forum, “Mental Health and Sport: Why It Matters.”
Among the wokish topics discussed there was mental toughness v mental wellness and social media and its impact on mental well-being, bit nothing on the welfare of a player forced to pay until 2am to satisfy a commercial contract, have to shower, change, eat and then try to sleep, before going through through same process a couple of days later.
Bizarre, but it is New York, the city that expects no one to sleep.
NYPD Cops quickly swooped to detain them. Photo: Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
AND talking of bizarre… quote of the week from the USTA re closing the roof.
“The roof was closed at the completion of this match to further facilitate the climatization process.”
Translation anyone?
NEW York was hoping it had escaped the eco-clowns who have disrupted sporting events this year – protesting that our energy supplies should be shut down so we can all go back to pre-industrial revolution times.
Sadly it wasn’t to be as Coco Gauff’s march to her first US One final was delayed for nearly an hour as four idiots decided to turn up and voice their horror that we are all going to boil to death (according to the UN) tomorrow.
Security though did their job eventually as one idiot glued his bare feet to the concrete.
Surrounded by 15 of New York City’s finest, all four were eventually taken away and held in custody.
And the irony of this tale? The glue used by the protester would have been an oil (fossil fuel) derivative.
BUT one eco problem tennis does have is its yellow fluffy balls.
Tennis balls are extremely hard to recycle and the industry has yet to develop a ball to make that process easier.
According to the latest stats (who compiles this sort of brain numbing stuff?) nearly all of the 330 million balls made worldwide each year end up in the garbage, with most in landfills, where it is believed they can take over 400 years to decompose.
In an era where almost everything – and everything we do – is slammed as a danger to the planet, it is worth noting that tennis balls make up way less than 1% of the hundreds of millions of rubbish produced every year.
Some of course, are recycled as toys for dogs, and others are ground down to recycle as footing for horse-based arenas, and ironically tennis courts!
GRAMMY Award-winning composer and singer Cécile McLorin Salvant performed “America the Beautiful” on court before yesterday’s women’s singles championship between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.
Prior to “America the Beautiful,” singers from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School in nearby Astoria, Queens – founded by tennis player and fan Tony Bennett, who passed away in July, and his wife Susan – also performed a medley tribute to Bennett.
Photo: Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
CELEBRITIES were out in force at the US Open to take in Coco Gauff’s first Grand Slam title.
The stands on Arthur Ashe Stadium were heaving with stars from the big screen, small screen, and the sporting world, including Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Mindy Kaling, Amanda Seyfried, Rachel Brosnahan, Cara Delevigne, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Monica Seles, Tracy Austin, Shonda Rhimes, Laura Dern, Mariska Hargitay, Al Roker, Diane Keaton, Jake Paul and Alec Baldwin.
NAOMI Osaka is set to return to tennis for the Australian Open in January, announcing last week her break from the sport “really fuelled a fire in me”.
The 25-year-old gave birth to daughter Shai in July and hasn’t played since September 2022. In an interview with ESPN at the US Open Osaka replied “yes” when asked if she would be in Melbourne at the start of next year.
Osaka said she was anticipating making a full-time return to the women’s tour in 2024.
“It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play,” she said.
“I think it’s because I realise like I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me.
“I don’t know the level of play and I think I kind of have to ease into it, so at the very least I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”
Alexander Zverev cooled the jets of a teenaged tearaway on Tuesday, schooling Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to power to his fifth career semi-final at the French Open.
The world No. 3 German finished runner-up in Paris two years ago and is still seeking his first trophy at one of the majors.
Zverev has been a consistent presence at the business end of the event here, figuring iin five of the past six semis.
But the achievement doesn’t amount to much for the seed, who has his eye on the big prize.
“I want to keep going. I don’t really care so much about a semi-final,” he said. “I want to win all the matches in front of me.
“Today was a tough test against a good player – that’s it for now.”
The 29-year-old who becomes the ninth man to play five Paris semi-finals, got away slowly as the 19-year-old Jodar showed his intentions with an early break..
But the seed began turning the tables on his young opponent while trailing 5-2 in the opening set after dropping serve in the eight-minute opening game.
Jodar’s unravelling began as he served for the first set leading 5-4 but was unable to close it out.
From then on, Zverev was in control.
The German won the opener in a tiebreaker and dominated the second to claim that chapter also.
In the third, he broke the fading youngster in the first and last games of the set
before closing out the win with a running forehand down the line on match point.
“He had perfect rhythm in the first set and I didn’t,” the winner said. “I was playing too short and too defensive.
“The ball was also not bouncing as high as it did in (last week’s) heat, I had to flatten out my shots.
“He outplayed me at the beginning of the first, but I managed to come back.
he seemed a bit nervous when he served for (the set).
“I took my chances, it was a good match for me.”
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev in control at Roland Garros – by ATPTour.com
Matteo Berrettini took Italian revenge on Monday against the Argentine who knocked out Jannik Sinner with a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) fourth-round demolition of Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open.
Former top 10 player Berrettini, now mended after several seasons of intermittent injury absences sent the South American packing in a solid clay display.
The Italian saved three Cerundolo set points in the third-set tiebreaker, with Berrettini claiming a match point on an inside-out forehand, and following up with a serve winner..
“I feel great,” Berrettini said. “I’m happy with the support in a full stadium.
“This is why we train and fight, I’m enjoying the atmosphere with my team and family.”
Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime booked the last eight as he put out another South American in Canadian-born Chilean AlejandroTabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1.
FAA becomes the first Canadian man to complete the set of quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The 30-year-old Berretini from Rome is competing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2021 when he also reached the last eight here.
The current No. 105 is the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist in Paris since in 2007.
Cobolli lost his first set of the tournament as he ran up against an American with negligible experience on clay, defeating Zach Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
The 10th-seeded Italian’s victory put him into his second Grand Slam and his first in Paris.
“I was a little bit nervous to close the match today,” the winner said. “It means a lot, this tournament, for me.
“Sometimes it’s not easy when you have to close, especially when you are up in the score like I was today.
“But also Zachary played a really good match today after the second set… tennis is like this. At the end, I was happy, and that’s the important thing.”
Svajda came to the major with only one career match win on clay. He began correcting that in the third round by beating Francisco.Cerundolo.
Cobolli cruised through the first two sets but his perfect set record took a dent in the third as Svajda forced a tiebreaker and saved a match point after closing the Italian’s 5-1 lead and forcing a tiebreaker.
It took a tiebreak fourth set to settle the outcome after more than three and a quarter hours.
Alexander Zverev stayed on track for a possible fourth Grand Slam final as the highest seed remaining in the men’s draw at the French Open moved efficiently into the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The German who has finished runner-up at the Australian and US Open plus Roland Garros, defeated qualifying lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1.
With this week’s second-round losses by world No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic, Zverev could have one of his best chances at lifting a major trophy.
The 29-year-old reached his eighth Roland Garros quarter-final as he beat his Dutch opponent on de Jong’s 26th birthday.
He needed a tiebreak to secure the opening set but picked up momentum before crushing it in the third set to get off court in a relatively quick two and a quarter hours.
“I had some early difficulties but he started well,” the winner said. “But once I found my rhythm I felt comfortable on the court.
“That is important for my game. It’s (his game) is there, I just have to show it on the match court.”
With the recent 10-day heatwave now gone, temperatures dropped into the mid-20s Celsius, which should make for more comfortable conditions.
But Zverev is not so sure: “To be honest, I like the heat, I prefer it. My ball flies a lot faster through the air and opponents struggle a bit more.
“I also spend a lot of time in Florida so I’m used to the heat. But we have to make the best of it, things can change within one day.”
Zverev will bid for the semi-finals in a matchup against Rafael Jodar, the prodigy who won an all-Spanish fourth-rounder 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 over Pablo Carreno Busta.
The fightback took nearly three and three-quarter hours and put the 19-year-old into his first last-eight spot in only his second Grand Slam appearance.
He has reached the last eight here for a sixth straight year.
Jodar, ranked No. 707 a year ago, is the fifth man this century to reach the quarters in his main draw debut at the event.
The youngster made a 4-1 start in the opening set but soon found himself in a five-set dogfight against a 34-year-old dealing with a shoulder injury.
The winner of a clay title in March has now taken victory in 19 of his last 22 matches.
“He’s young and incredibly talented,” Zverev said of his next opponent. “He came onto the clay scene in two months.
“He will be a difficult challenge but I’ll be ready for it.”
Main photo:- Favourite Alexander Zverev wins third round match – by ATPTour.com
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