Followers of tennis know the power the Williams sisters, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal hold both on and off the tennis court.
Newer faces such as Cori “Coco” Gauff (ranked third in the world for singles and first for doubles) and Carlos Alcaraz (ranked second by Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP) are serving prodigy action.
The US Open is a classic tournament that spans from the last Monday of August until the middle weekend coinciding with the US Labor Day holiday (equalling about two weeks).
Gauff peels the crowd to not only her talent, but also her voice.
Protecting her peace is her first responsibility, and then comes her profession.
During her match on August 28, Laura Siegemund, her opponent, broke multiple rules of which were not regulated by the official.
One of four time violations done by the consciousness of Siegemund were addressed and taken care of, but other than that Gauff questioned, “How is this fair?”.
The wise nineteen-year-old comes off well-beyond her age as she is an advocate modern day racial issues.
The chair umpire made one too many poor calls, but after an articulate confrontation, the crowd and sports commentators voiced their agreement with Guaff’s frustrations.
The obsession started when she was at the ripe age of fifteen! She won over tennis spectators and even opponents with her win against Venus Williams in Wimbledon. This happened sporadically after receiving a wild card entry to the tournament. Her performance broke records; she was the youngest player in three decades to make it to the fourth round.
Back to the present day: she took the victory in the first-round match against Siegemund.
“Wait a minute,” an announcer joyfully comments as the crowd’s sound around him reaches into his microphone when the two battled and Guaff hit the winning ball.
Her voice and impact got even louder and clearer.
Playing tennis and the pressure that comes along for the ride for the young lady “is nothing compared to people who are struggling to feed their families”.
Putting her life into perspective attracted the strongest fan base that resembles a similar admiration to that of Serena Williams when she was a couple years into the sport.
Carlos Alcaraz shares similar hype at the moment being that he is a fresh twenty-year-old decking seasoned professionals such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
When it comes to deciding who will serve the ball, no one( rookie or not a rookie) wants to in an important final match.
Compared to Roger Federer, the young Spaniard thought about his idol’s own encounter with Djokovic four years ago at Wimbledon where Federer lost in a tie-breaker.
Alcaraz keeps his promises after whispering to himself to not let that predicament happen.
Speed, flexibility, and determination moved him up the ranks to be the number one male tennis player in the world after his US Open win against Casper Ruud in the Grand Slam final.
Generations of tennis players to come have an exact replica of what it takes and looks like to be a professional athlete in today’s sign of the times.
Do not worry, you have plenty of matches to catch up to speed on as tennis no longer has an off-season!
Next up in September: Davis Cup Finals Group Stage, Chengdu Open, Zhuhai Championships, Laver Cup, Astana Open, and the China Open.