Into US Open of 2024
View(s):This year’s US Open will be the 144th for the US title. First was in 1881, it is the second oldest tennis event in the world. Wimbledon popularised tennis in Europe, done by US Open in Americas. In the present calendar, it is a Grand Slam event. Prize money this year will be 65 million dollars. Qualifying events commences a week earlier. Main event is from August 26.
The US Open playing surface is made of asphalt concrete, popularly known as hard court. String of hard court events in American continent prior to US Open started in July 2024. [Overshadowed by Paris Olympics] All the same, WTA and ATP successfully conducted them, named as US Open series. Its events zigzagged from Canada to South America covering cities north of the equator.
USA tennis road
Cost, weather, widespread possibilities and ease of maintenance are the reason that made USA take to hard courts. It has worked well. Over the years, USA developed the hard courts to be user-friendly, affordable, weather resistance and increased availability. Originally, US Open was on grass courts, changed to be a hard court event. [Trend is evolving to take tennis back to grass in Europe] USA also has a version of sand courts.
The original playing surfaces of grass and clay places great deal of emphasis in coordinating skill development. The variance of these surfaces made tennis a mental, physical skill oriented discipline.
Catch on aspect of hard courts
The easy or less maintenance promoted hard court popularity. Courts appeared in every park and in homes. Coordination for ball contact on hard court is easy because of the uniformity of bounce. However, game speed skyrocketed. Hard court is all about extreme speed. The down side of hard courts it strains players’ ankle, knees and hip. To counter it, modern players use highly specialised ‘floater like’ shoes, they are, when compared to the old English Green-Flash design.
US Women
American women in the Top 20 of the WTA ranking are Coco Gauff at 3, Jessica Pegula at 6, Daniella Collins at 11, Emma Navarro at 13 and Madison Keys at 14. Gauff won the title last year beating Aryana Sabalenka. This year too Gauff, the Olympic silver medalist, go as the favourite with China’s Qinwen Zheng currently ranked 7, she is at Gauff’s heels. Americans will try hard to keep the title in America.
Stroke style and physical strain
The style of WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek is a worthy observation and the other is Rafael Nadal. Their wrung bodies to punish for speed and did not provide grace of stroke making ease Roger Federer. Both are paying the price. From my memory, only Pete Sampras successfully abundant double handed backhand to single-handed with eastern grip, became unbeatable. Those using eastern system are prone to lower level of discomfort and injuries than extreme western and extremes. An unconfirmed study shows older players, still playing, are using eastern grips. [Grigor Dimitrov] Of recent Iga Swiatek has shown ups and down. Her style of using the whole body in unstable acrobatic coordination is frightening. In the last two years, Swiatek has had physical injuries. What more, her communication with her player box during the match has increased, gives the impression she is not thinking but directed from the box. [Unfortunately, I also see this in Carlos Alcaraz; could it be they are tired playing year after year. He lost the gold medal match with this folly to Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz was on the court but his player-box selected the shots?]
Men in US Open
There are no American men in the Top 10 of the ATP ranking [unprecedented]. Five players from USA squeezed into 12 to 20 of the ranking. Jannick Sinner of Italy has reached the No.1 position of ATP ranking. Others in the Top 10 are Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev. Herbert Hurkarz, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and injured Alex de Minnaur. Vary colourful set of players. Age spanning from 20 to 35 years.
A nation that has consistently provided top end players to the world is USA. Some of them are tennis icons with impressive record. In men John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ash and in women, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and the William sisters – Venus and Serena. They have etched their name on stone.
Freedom of players
Stadium court of mega events have a tendency to become patriotic flag waving spectator show. In open tennis, national approval is not a necessity to participate and their sanctions are not valid. This is one of the setback players experienced before the formation of the professional bodies, WTA and ATP. Today players are professionals conducting their businesses like any other trade globally. For promoting professional bodies more players is their aim, to the player, able to play longer is the undeclared goal. Another day of play is better than unable to play. True for many sport, if not for all.
After the US Open in September, tennis players go into a recess. Nine months in the professional circuit, is very energy sapping and nerve wreaking undertaking. Their spirit and game need revamping.
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; Coach German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup coach, coached ATP, WTA and ITF ranked players in Europe and Asia; WhatsApp +94775448880–