Unpacking Coco Gauff’s U.S. Open Win, Tour Updates and More

The dust has finally settled on Flushing Meadows, but there is still plenty to digest from the last Grand Slam of the season.

Putting a bow on the 2023 U.S. Open …

• Here’s the 50 Thoughts column

• We can talk Simona Halep next week …

Onward …

If you would have told me 20 years ago that a man would win 24 Grand Slam singles titles and that man would be coached by Goran [Ivanišević] I don’t think I would have believed you.

James B.

• We should turn this into a game. I’ll start. Imagine if 20 years ago, I told you …

a) Pete Sampras would win 14 majors…and not be on the medal stand.

b) Roger Federer would win 20 majors (the last tranche during the Donald Trump presidency) and take bronze.

c) Venus Williams, age 43, would play a main-draw night session match at the 2023 U.S. Open.

d) No American man would win a major post–Andy Roddick.

Hi Jon,

You mentioned this already toward the top of your 50 thoughts, but I think it’s worth devoting more time to. A major winner from the U.S. Open is Brad Gilbert. Say what you will about him, but you cannot make the argument that he is too old and irrelevant. Coco’s “ugly” win has his fingerprints all over it. His coaching style obviously works, and his commentary works too, minus the F-bombs he’s dropping when he’s really excited for his players, but who can blame him. BG is definitely a net positive for tennis, and Coco winning only further solidifies his importance to the game.

Kobi

• Absolutely. Gilbert and I don’t agree on everything. But his bona fides as a coach are not in dispute. That final—in fact, most of the seven wins Gauff put on the board—were encapsulations of “winning ugly.” Gauff’s defense was as important as her offense. Her improv was as important as her game plan. So was her awareness that a point inducing errors is worth as much as a point won by a dazzling, crowd-pleasing winner.

As long as I am gassing up Gilbert, note that some former players who are broadcasters can’t go a point without referencing their careers. Lots of “back in my day.” Lots of narcissism. (“Trust me, I know what Novak is feeling.”) You seldom hear Gilbert reference his chops as a player. If most fans know him at all, it’s as a coach. The dude got to No. 4 in the world, won 20 titles and reached 40 finals.

Gauff credited her doubters, saying they motivated her to win her first Grand Slam :: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Hi Jon -

I had a question regarding Coco Gauff’s acceptance speech (and then I saw John McEnroe had spoken about this as well. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but anyway..)

My question was about Gauff’s reference to the people who had doubted whether she would ever win a major event. Was there anyone credible who was actually saying that? As far as I can tell, every serious tennis commentator or journalist (including you) has said that her winning a major was a matter of when, not if.

One thought I had is that the current generation of tennis players have to cope with unfiltered commentary through social media, which of course is insanely toxic, and I think perhaps this may give the players the impression that legions of serious people are against them, when in fact it is a slim minority of lunatics.

Having said that, I also wondered if the “everyone was against me” mindset is just something that athletes use as motivation, even if no one (except maybe internet trolls) is actually saying it. Maybe it also takes some of the pressure off? Or do you think that she was actually receiving this message from someone more credible?

Curious about your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Trent Miller, Indianapolis

• Two thoughts:

1. I encourage a wide berth with any remarks made at trophy presentations. It’s never clear to me why we make the winners—never mind the losers—speak. They are emotional. They are coming off a high. They have all sorts of neurochemistry going on. Just as we should give Naomi Osaka a pass on Jennifer/Jenny, or forgive the player who neglects to mention the opponent, don’t read too much into these cringe-fests. It’s not an awards ceremony, where nominees come prepared and come for the express purpose of giving an acceptance speech. The finalists are there to win a major, after competing in a high-stakes sporting event; forgive them if, speaking as soon as the match ends, they fall short of Pericles addressing the Athenian senate.

2. We were joking on Tennis Channel about the mystery identity of Gauff’s haters and doubters. I suspect they include loserdude392912, 10balls51 and three Russian bots with no followers. Honestly, how deep did she have to dig to find voices of doubt and dissent? When she won D.C. I know of no one said, “Now, let’s see her do it at a bigger event.” I know of tons of people who said, “Awesome! She’s back from that Wimbledon hiccup and is now a contender at the U.S. Open!” For what it’s worth, on our Tennis Channel pregame show [he plugs shamelessly] I believe Chanda Rubin, Paul Annacone and I each picked her to win the U.S. Open title.

But … athletes have amazing powers to create narratives to motivate themselves. And straw men (and women) are often effective. Prove the doubters wrong! Silence the critics! Shock the world! Us against the world! No one gave us a chance! No one outside this locker room gives us a chance! Part of me found this sad. Gauff is so, deservedly, popular and awesome and transfixing as a player; she is like tennis’s version of pizza and ice cream—if you don’t like her (or her prospects) you are the freak. What a pity she would fixate on the minuscule minority of trolls who, likely, know nothing about tennis. What a pity she wouldn’t recognize that she is adored, that the “buy side” outpaces the “sell side,” 999-to-1.

On the other hand, if this is what motivates her to win majors, good on her. Bring on the trolls and bots.

Jon,

Long time reader here (who is not on Twitter or Instagram) … What is the deal on the Newport, Atlanta, and Dallas ATP tournaments that you referenced in your 50 parting thoughts? As an Atlanta resident who faithfully supports that tournament, I’m very interested in hearing if the Atlanta event is in danger of disappearing.

Thanks.

Lilas Pratt

• Commendations on avoiding social media. The big (existential?) question w/r/t ATP is how to quell the Saudis and find space for a Masters 1000 event (first week of the year?) before they get restless and, working with some combination of the UTR and PTP, form a separate tour altogether. But, secondarily, there is a push for more 500-level events and fewer 250-level events. Dallas, Munich and Doha have been touted as hosts starting in 2025. Newport—already sold, I gather—Atlanta, a Mexico event and a French event have been identified as contractions. Stay tuned.

Thanks for your coverage of the recent U.S. Open, Jon.

A few thoughts:

1.) Djokovic is the first man to win 3 majors in a year 4 times. Before the recent era, the last man to win 3 majors in a year was in 1988. Before that, 1974. Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal have done it a combined 8 times.

2.) Djokovic is the only player to reach the final at two different grand slams 10 times.

3.) Medvedev played an amazing match to beat [Alcaraz], but it’s asking a lot to then beat Djokovic too. The biggest advantage Djokovic and [Alcaraz] may have is that they don’t have to do that.

4.) Sabalenka had to be frustrated because shots that were winners against all her previous opponents kept being returned.

5.) I really enjoy Andy Roddick’s spots on Tennis Channel. I’ve never seen him cover a live match. As insightful and quick-witted as he is, I’m sure he would be great. Is there a way someone could find a way to have Mary Carillo and Roddick cover a match together, please?

6.) I’m glad you mentioned John Isner. While it’s expected that his marathon Wimbledon match is what most remember, let’s not forget his huge upset of Federer in Davis Cup. Detractors of Isner say he only has a serve, but a player doesn’t beat an all-time great and get to #8 in the world with just a serve.

A. Krouse, Hummelstown, PA

• Quick thoughts

1. How about this: The first time was in 2011, and the most recent was in ’23.

2. How about this: He has played 72 majors. He has reached the finals of a full half and won a full third. What a joke.

3. Excellent point.

4. Another excellent point. As I said on Tennis Channel, we see 46 unforced errors and gasp. But it’s not like missing free throws; it’s like missing jumpers. Gauff’s defense and point-prolonging played a big role.

5. Roddick is an A-plus. (Remind me to tell you a story another time.) And, yes, a Roddick-Carillo call tickles the tennis pleasure centers.

6. Correct. We should undertake this exercise more often. “Serena is so powerful.” True, but so is Sabalenka. “Roger is so talented.” True, but so is Kyrgios. “Isner is a server.” True, but so is Ivo Karlović …

Djokovic’s U.S. Open title serves as his 24th Grand Slam victory :: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Jon,

I understand that one has to win all four majors in a calendar year to qualify as a grand slam. However, I think it is just as impressive and laudable to win all four majors in a row whether they be in a calendar year or completed over two years. Thus, in my opinion Martina, Serena, and Novak are de facto grand slam champions, notwithstanding the rules. In my opinion, the difficulty is on par with the calendar slam.

Donald, Tennessee

• I could buy that. All four in one calendar year has always struck me as arbitrary. (See: Simpson’s Paradox.)

Dear Jon,

With all the Saudi takeover buzz, I find myself reading about tennis a little more, and came across this article today. In my 35 years of experience with the USTA he is dead right. More people should read about the writings and the guts the author shows. You are the premier tennis reporter in the nation….Love your work, and would love your contribution to disrupting the flaws in our system.

Jorge Nunez del Prado, Richmond, VA

• Here’s my overarching take on Saudi Arabia: It’s complicated. There are practical issues here. There are economic issues. There are human rights issues. This is also a country that, undeniably, is trending in the direction of progress and Westernization. It’s also a country that still ranks near the bottom of every global human rights metric. It’s too simplistic to say, “It’s blood money, and no one should ever go there.” It’s too simplistic to say, “No country is perfect and if Facebook can accept investment and McKinsey can take on KSA as a client, why can’t I go to the trough?”

Hello Jon,

I’m of course delighted with Coco’s win. I wanted to acknowledge that you were right. It ALWAYS comes down to the player and Brad Gilbert knows it. There was a shot of Coco’s box during the trophy ceremony and where was Brad? Hiding several rows up away from the people that have been with Coco since the start. He knows.

It’s been a great tournament!

Jenny

• I give EVERYONE a lot of credit. The data points on Gilbert speak for themselves—from a first-round loss at Wimbledon to nearly unbeatable since. And he did not make himself the center of attention. Gauff did a masterful job recognizing post-Wimbledon that she needed a change and to hear a voice in addition to her folks’ … without causing family resentment. I give Gauff mere and pere a lot of credit for taking a step back and letting others into the camp. This dilemma is not unique to them. But I can’t recall it being executed so gracefully. Speaking of Pere ... Pere Riba—the understated day-to-day coach, formerly with Qinwen Zheng—did his thing, projected calm, didn’t talk too much and didn’t angle for attention.

I wish I could recall who told me this and credit them accordingly, but someone told me that during Coco’s matches, Corey Gauff would be too nervous to watch. So he would simply orbit the concourse, talking dozens of laps, peeking inside to see the score. Strikes me as an exceedingly healthy way to offload, without (a) leaving the site entirely and (b) letting your stress be seen by the player/daughter.

Gauff hired Brad Gilbert in July after a disappointing Wimbledon outing.   :: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

I notice on the U.S. Open [website], the men’s player profiles have entries for height and weight, but the women‘s profiles list only height. The same goes for the ATP and WTA [websites]. Any idea why the player profiles aren’t the same?

Mark Flannery

Fullerton, California

• This comes up from time to time. Technically, it flies in the face of “equality.” I vote for “grace” here. Society’s reaction to a woman’s weight versus a man’s weight is different.

Hi Jon; I saw your Sunday routine in the New York Times, I like Trader Joe’s too. By the way what’s going on with World Team Tennis? Does it exist anymore?

Best Regards;

Eric Bukzin, Manorville, Long Island

• Sadly this recalls a Hollywood screenplay in turnaround. Someone owns the rights to World Team Tennis. But the production has been indefinitely suspended.

What is going on with these fans behaving badly at Slams lately (not just the U.S. Open). It’s disgusting seeing some fans trying to distract players between 1st and 2nd serves and applauding double faults. Among many others. I remember there was a lot of talk about “how do we get fans more involved at matches” and other junk? Well this is what you get. And I honestly feel the Slams are ignoring and enabling it. I really miss the old days.

Keith Jacobson

• Or fans are engaged. And the demographic is broadening. And as many players—Frances Tiafoe, Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Zverev—hope, there is more of a basketball vibe. Singing Nazi bier lieds? Not good. Yelling “out” while a ball is in play? Not good. Booing Ukrainians? Not cool. But if a couple of lapses are the price of a general loosening up of the atmosphere, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

What do you think is going on with Stefanos Tsitsipas’s odd career path? In the mid 2010s, he was hyped relentlessly as a new Federer; there was much fawning over him and his complete game at a young age. Now, he is in his mid 20s and is considered a seasoned pro firmly in the top 10. But I find his career to be mystifying. He seems to have a lot of early inexplicable losses in Grand Slams to players ranked well below him. What do you think is the problem? Lack of focus?

Raymond

• Like the arc of history, the arc of a tennis career is long. Is Tsitsipas mired in a slump? He is. Is he the player in his mid-20s—the sandwich generation?—you’d pick now to upend the Djokovic-Alcaraz duopoly? He is not. But the best player in the world is 36. Plenty of time to get the proverbial train back on the proverbial tracks.

This notion is going to sound odd, but how can we tell who the greatest female player is when there are no longer tournaments played on carpet?

Best Regards, Joe Johnson

• You really want to test a player’s mettle? Shag carpet underfoot.