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I know there aren't many fans here. I don't even remember a tennis thread appearing in theses halls.

But if you are, we're witnessing a changing of the guard right now. Right. now... and the Gods took the artistic liberty of putting it on the same stage that features the GOAT, Serena Williams, making her farewell.

On the men's side we have a young African-American, with a very unorthodox forehand, trying to bring the trophy back home after nearly twenty years. Frances Tiafoe is a bit rough around the edges, but his quick-twitch and accuracy shine in his very unlikely victory over the great Rafael Nadal...




On the other side of the bracket, last night showcased one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. Sinner (Italy) vs Alcaraz (Spain). Second longest match in Open history with these young pups (Alcaraz is nineteen) chasing down every point through the fifth set. Now that I've spoiled part of it, I still say, watch the entire match if you can. With that said, the vid below contains a little action from the second set and the score is in the lower left. Really, if you're not into 5+ hours of tennis, I would just pick up the action right there, because most of the theatrics and jaw-dropping athleticism takes place after that...

This is sick... most mere mortals would have never even returned the serve.





After years of the Big Three (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic) trading punches, and knowing it was coming to a close, I wondered if it would become like the Middleweight boxers from the 80's. Basically, setting the bar so high that popularity waned after they were gone. Absolutely not. There are three or four young stars that are all finding their game at the same time... it bodes well for a decade of very exciting action. And make no mistake, each has the tools to elevate the game and competition even higher.

Exciting times in the tennis world.

Love the U.S. Open. It's one sporting event that I absolutely must attend someday. That 5hr+ match was incredible.

Would be amazing to see Tiafoe win the whole thing.

Serena was great to watch. Fun to see Tiger Woods fist pumping in the stands.

My brother and I were huge Andy Roddick fans. It was great watching him play under the lights at Arthur Ashe stadium.

One of the most incredible points I have ever seen.

I watched that live! (Although, sadly, not in person)

My wife's dream is to attend Wimbledon. Probably have to sell the house and the dog for that one lol.


Björn Borg was one my first sports idols. I've always followed and watched the sport. When Federer dismantled Philippoussis at Wimbledon in 2003 I predicted he would be the GOAT. Never expected to watch so much greatness from others (and so many great matches) during his time. When Roger lost to Djokovic in the 2019, I was heartbroken, he was nearly 38 and I knew it was his last chance... but what an incredible match.

Federer's 2009 win over Roddick was one of the great matches ever... and Roddick's performance was the best I've ever seen by any player in a losing effort. Roger was simply nearly unbeatable at the time. Roddick was one of the all-time great Americans, his serve should have been registered with the FBI. Seems like injuries, bad luck, and too much talent around him were what kept him from multiple grand slams.

Federer single handily cost Roddick 4-5 Grand Slam titles. It used to drive me nuts watching Roddick fall to Federer at Wimbledon year after year. You're right, that 2009 match was fantastic.

Going to Wimbledon would be an awesome experience, hope you and your wife make it someday. For me, I would first like to go to the the U.S. Open. There's something about tennis under the lights at Arthur Ashe stadium and the crowd is a little more raucous. Plus, I want to drink the Honey Deuce!

Every sport needs a villain. In tennis, to me, it was Lleyton Hewitt. Hated that guy.

As a young kid in the 80s, I was team Agassi. Thought he was cool and Sampras seemed like a weenie.

I had a passing interest in tennis maybe mid 70's to mid 80's. I like Connors, Everett, McEnroe, Borg to a degree. Not so much since. No real reason why, I just haven't.

Once Sampras started winning, men's tennis just got boring and I don't think it's ever recovered.

I liked playing tennis a lot more than watching it. It takes far more athleticism to play well than people think.

I rarely watch anymore, but Bjorn Borg was my favorite male player. Quiet, stoic, steady, and played w/a deep resolve and guts.

Martina Navralatova was my favorite women's player in part because she took so much grief for being a lesbian and people used to call her a man and suggested she should not be allowed to play. But mostly, I loved her serve and volley game.

Gabriela Sabatini was another of my favorites. She was a great player, but man, she was stunningly attractive and classy.

Ilie Nastase was my least favorite. He was the villain of the time period. They used to call him "Nasty." He was extremely talented, but often gagged in big moments, which was fine by me.

Absolutely.

I saw Nastase vs. Vilas in Cincinnati in the early 70's. A lot of characters in the game back then.

And we shouldn't forget Connors' last run:

I loved playing tennis when I was younger. Always had the athleticism, but never the actual tennis skills. My wife and I still go out and hit a few from time to time.

As I've become older, I fell back in love with badminton. I was unbeatable as a kid, still pretty good today. We have matches just about every weekend at my house, not unusual to see 10-15 people in the yard. We play doubles and sometimes have two courts going. They get rotated throughout the summer as the grass wears thin over a full acre lol.

Gabriela Sabatini? Stunning is accurate. I was a huge fan of Martina Hingis and her short skirts. She wasn't too shabby with the racket either.

And yes, Nastase was the ultimate tennis villain; but if I had to put a player's mug on a dartboard I'd have to flip a coin to decide Sampras or Hewitt.

Maybe that's it. I liked the volley. Ace and done is no fun. Hard serve, weak return and a smash for point is not fun. Women have gotten to the point they don't volly as much.

This is what I am talking about.

I used to play a ton of tennis until I hit my 30s, hardly at all anymore. Don’t follow the men’s or women’s tour like I used to but I have watched a lot of the US Open the past 12 days.

One thing that turns me off about how the game has evolved the past 25 years is the lost art of serve-and-volley: returners get the ball back so fast it is suicide to serve and volley, except as an occasional surprise.

My favourite players were always great volleyers: McEnroe, Navratilova, Edberg, to name a few.

Hell of a match b/t Alcaraz and Tiafoe. Bummed for Tiafoe, but his future is bright. Couldn't get his 1st serve in, especially in the 5th set.

Damn.

Was really pulling for Tiafoe but he was outclassed. I don't mean that to sound insulting -- Alcaraz is the most complete tennis player I've ever seen.

Tiafoe's serve abandoned him, and it was the only tool in the shed that gave him a chance. 20% in the 5th set just won't get it done. If there is a weakness (read: area for improvement, as he's only 19) in Alcaraz' game, it's his ROS.

My heart sank when Tiafoe, obviously very emotional, said he let us down. That's the other side of "home court"... fans will put you on their back when you need them, when you "let them down" (particularly a home crowd waiting nearly 20 years for a champion) it has to really sting.


There are not enough adjectives to describe Alcaraz. This will either be very good or very bad for tennis lol. If he continues on this trajectory there may not be enough competition for the next 5-10 years... at least not on clay and hardcourt. You better work on your game and come with a huge serve... and hope his doesn't improve. You'll win service games 40-30 and get smoked when you're not serving. You'll have to grind and grind and hope he falls into a lull -- and makes the right mistakes at all the right times. Alcaraz is a ninja on the court and a wizard with his racket.

#silly

Milk and anyone that loves tennis, or just sports psychology for that matter, definitely check this out if you have Netflix. Mardy Fish is at the center of the story and he and Roddick were very close friends (he actually lived with the Roddick family for awhile). A lot of old footage and screen time with Andy. A bird's eye view of how Fish worked his ass off to try to keep up with Roger, Rafa and the Joker... and the consequences on the back end. Good stuff!

Love the U.S. Open...