U.S. Open Briefing: Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek face tough decisions, more variety, tired players
Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week.
The 2024 U.S. Open has finished, with Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner emerging as the singles champions. Elsewhere, we have the impact of the Olympics, the importance of nerves and a tale of two Emmas as Grand Slam tournaments take a break until the Australian Open in January.
How did the Olympics make for an even odder U.S. Open?
The U.S. Open is always the least predictable of tennis’ four majors, with no man or woman dominating in New York over the past decade. Its position in the calendar means that when they arrive at Flushing Meadows, players are feeling the effects of the three other Grand Slams and all the other tournaments in between.
In her press conference after the women’s final on Saturday, runner-up Jessica Pegula said, “Everything is kind of falling apart. A lot of girls are like that. The doctors and the physios are very busy here.”
This year, things felt even crazier, with the 2024 Olympics held in Paris a couple of weeks after Wimbledon playing a huge part. The additional tennis, plus the unfamiliar transition from grass in London back to clay at Roland Garros to U.S. hard courts meant that players came to New York more tired and less prepared for the latter surface than they might be ordinarily.
