The money, the fans, the hair - six final answers about the US Open 2021
Today is the grand finale of the US Open. However, some questions were cleared up before the last punch line in New York City.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Sep 12, 2021, 12:26 am
Does money score goals in tennis too?
At least not at the US Open. The American tennis association doesn't even know what to do with all the money (in contrast to the current situation with the Australians, who caused a financial emergency from the big quarantine boom in early 2021). But the result in the home major was historically bad this year: neither the women nor the men made it into the individual quarter-finals. This may be due to the absence of the two best-placed women ( Sofia Kenin and Jennifer Brady) - on the other hand, Canada brought two representatives into the semifinals with Leylah Fernandez and Félix Auger-Aliassime. Even one step further with Fernandez.
Will we ever see linesmen at the big hard court tournaments again?
Alexander Zverev did not forget the two indoor tournaments in Cologne last autumn. At that time, the Olympic champion was still convinced ten months later, the calibration of the cameras did not work. In New York there were now a few crooked, incredulous looks from the players - but on the whole it is easy to imagine that at least in the USA and Canada the human eye will no longer be required to monitor the lines. It certainly looks different on European sand.
The discipline of the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium?
Well, basically nothing more was required to enter the area than proof of being vaccinated at least once. It didn't matter whether this vaccination took place eight weeks or eight minutes before entering the Billie Jean National Tennis Center. Masks were now and then worn voluntarily, the obligation to do so only existed in closed rooms, such as in the press center. And, now it's getting interesting, even if the roof was closed on the Ashe or the Armstrong. Then there was a quick announcement that one should put on a mask, please. John McEnroe estimated the percentage of people who followed this call to be a whopping ten percent. Which was already optimistic.
Will there soon be a teenage boy among men who can win a Grand Slam tournament?
No. Well, Carlos Alcaraz still has a little time until his 20th birthday and Holger Rune made high demands early on. But a (double) sensation as with women is as good as impossible with men. This is due to the dominance of Novak Djokovic and the constancy of those who come behind him: Daniil Medvedev , Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas (even if Alcaraz beat him) and Matteo Berrettini . We do n't want to forget Rafael Nadal , Andrey Rublev and Dominic Thiem , plus one thing above all: the best-of-five format. Even the young Alcaraz had to pay tribute to the efforts against Tsitsipas and Peter Gojowczyk.
Which hairstyle convinced the most?
In this category, the focus should only be on men. and it should be noted here that a qualification by JJ Wolf for the main draw would have been very welcome. The Agassi-style mullet would have become a veritable companion. But as it is, Lloyd Harris has to be ahead of the game. When it came to mustache, the usual suspects had their hair up front: Jordan Thompson and Steve Johnson. With slight advantages (denser bar!) For the latter. And after all, Johnson has reached the semi-finals in doubles alongside the very well-shaven Sam Querrey.
How long was the umpire's leash?
Very long. If you briefly recall the women's final of 2018, in which Patrick Mouratoglou was warned for a small gesture towards Serena Williams (not him, but Serena, of course), then with a look at Duglas Cordero you ask yourself: Is Is that just the pure encouragement he gives Leylah Fernandez? Or is there more to it? And: Why Louise Engzell initially frozen Lloyd Harris at his set ball against Alexander Zverev, but then waived a warning whether the bottles were thrown, remains a mystery.
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