The round of 16 at the US Open 2018 is complete. Time for a very subjective assessment of the first three rounds in New York.
The balls, they don’t really fly anymore. That means: from the clubs of the players very well. And at the hot starting temperatures also very far. The ball children, on the other hand, will have to roll instead of throw from this year on, which is a pity in that some experts have been in action at the US Open for at least a decade. And the bullets can hurl across the court. To the enthusiasm of the fans.
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Roger Federer’s appearances before the press are, as usual, a source of constant inspiration. In any language. However, it is striking that the Maestro is the only player who does not appear in his working clothes for media debriefing, but in a casual leisure look that would also be ideal for a visit to the cinema. That’s how Federer held it on Media Day. And even after his three successes in the competition.
Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second recording: As beautiful as the thing is, the noise level is clearly too high to be concentrated. Simona Halep had noticed that she would have had problems hearing the blows of her opponent Kaia Kanepi. The situation is similar for fans starting at row ten: the permanent murmur, the wind and the adjoining station make outballs recognizable by the magistrates’ arm signs. Not their reputations.
Textile shoppers are primarily allowed to use the official US Open collection. The store for the brand with the three stripes has moved from the Grandstand to Louis Armstrong, the swoosh of the Greek goddess of victory, positioned in the centre of the complex for years, one looks in vain.
The anniversary, the 50th edition of the US Open, will be staged throughout the facility. Also during the change breaks on the screens of the individual courts. The highlight: The summary of all 100 winners of the Open US-American Tennis Championships. A punch from Wade to Stephens and Serena, from Ashe to Nadal, all compressed to a few seconds. Great.
Speaking of Arthur Ashe: The importance of the three-time major winner, who died in 1988, for tennis cannot be overestimated. The historical documents and recordings remind us that Ashe was a sportsman in the best sense of the word despite the most difficult conditions: fair, fearless, a role model. It seems reasonable to assume that Artgur Ashe would even have made Twitter a better place.
However, two examples illustrate that the short news service also produces remarkable talent: The Causa Kyrgios picked up speed in the first place with several tweets. And if you watched Julien Benneteau drop his pants in his last professional match against Jan-Lennard Struff live on Court 11, you could be sure that this scene could be seen worldwide shortly afterwards. But not the origin: That was an incredible volley of Struff, which left the Frenchman stunned.