Tuesday, September 25, 2018
The US Open Tennis Championships 2018
After he struck the
final blow in the United States Open on Sunday, Novak Djokovic
collapsed, face up, on the tennis court. He had defeated Juan Martin
del Potro in straight sets to win the title. They had both suffered
from oppressive heat for two weeks in quest of the Grand Slam title.
Even though he was seeded 6th, Djokovic was clearly in
control in the match. He was coming off a win at Wimbledon earlier in
the summer.
Remarkably, del Potro
was a previous winner of the US Open in 2009. In the world of
competitive tennis, that is a very long time. He has battled numerous
injuries over the years, and he looked forward to kissing the cup
after the match. To his dismay, he had to settle for more than two
million Canadian dollars, and a silver plate. Djoko got the trophy,
and more than four million dollars.
There was a lot of
noise from the spectators throughout the match. Tennis fans expect
decorum during the matches. As time goes by, there is less and less
respect for the umpire's request for silence. I hate to say it, but
fifty years from now, there might be out and out bedlam at the
courts. Quite often, players have to “regroup” and compose their
thoughts before serving. They bounce the balls several times before
tossing the ball overhead to serve. On a couple of occasions,
Djokovic screamed at the Argentinian contingent supporting del Potro.
They were neatly packed in a box in the rafters. They had organized
cheers. They were loud, and distracting. All well and good, so long
as it does not happen before a service.
After the match,
Djokovic thanked the spectators, the Serbians and the Argentinians,
for their enthusiasm.
Both Federer and Nadal
were eliminated before the final. There is plenty of fine tennis left
in both of them, but this may have been a watershed of sorts for
them. They are a little older, and a little smaller than the up and
coming talent. Many of today's professional players stand well over
six feet, and some almost seven feet tall. That gives them a distinct
advantage when serving, and when playing the net. The smaller guys
make up for it by being quick and crafty. It all makes for great
tennis.
Naomi Osaka won the
women's title. She defeated Serena Williams in the final, in a
somewhat controversial match. On one occasion, the umpire took a
point away from Williams because he judged that she was receiving
coaching advice from Patrick Mouratoglou. When the players changed
sides, she accused the umpire of being a “liar” and a “thief”.
He then penalized her a game, in the final set, to make the score
5-3.
It was the first time a
Japanese player had ever won the US Open. There were plenty of tears
when she clambered over a railing to receive congratulations from her
family and friends.
There is still tennis
ahead at the Masters 1000 tournaments in China and Paris, and also
the ATP Finals.
James Hurst September
10, 2018
# posted by James Hurst @ 4:32 PM 
