The U.S. Open, one of the four yearly tennis Grand Slam tournaments, invites the top seeded tennis players from around the world to compete for a championship. This tournament in particular was memorable for featuring record breaking games, upsets and other notable feats.
Coco Gauff, a 19 year old American tennis player, came very close to breaking the youngest Grand Slam winner record. This record is currently held by Serena Williams, who is now retired. Avid tennis fans and casual watchers alike were captivated by Gauff’s achievements.
“She may not have beaten the record, but still, this is a major accomplishment,” Roman Vedeneev, seventh grade communications major and tennis player said. “She’s just been on tour for four years, and she has already won a Grand Slam. It takes many years of hard work to win a world tournament and she deserved it. She played a strong mental/physical game.”
According to CNN, several US presidents congratulated Gauff on her excellent victory. Bill Clinton congratulated Gauff on her “incredible victory,” saying that “the future of American tennis looks bright.” Also in the stands, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama were watching Gauff win the US Open.
According to a sports article by CNN, even famous celebrities like Hollywood star Zendaya and iconic tennis player Serena Williams commented on her win and called it “amazing.”
Serbian tennis star, Novak Djokovic equaled Margaret Court’s record for the most singles Grand Slam tennis titles. According to the U.S. Open website, “Djokovic has claimed his 24th Grand Slam title – a title much of the media has anticipated for a long time.”
“[Djokovic] truly deserved this win and the record,” Vedeneev said. “Djokovic played an amazing game, especially the game he came back for the win. In my opinion he is the best tennis player of the century. He practiced for every single thing to win this Open, and he did it.”
Vedeneev is not the only one who believes Djokovic’s win achievement was legendary. Even the Olympic website is talking about Djokovic’s win saying “it is a spectacular achievement and no man since 1969 has ever held all four Slam titles.”
The breaking of records and impressive wins were not the only events that occurred during the U.S. open. Exceptional sportsmanship was also shown. In the men’s double final, when his partner’s forehand grazed his right arm, Rohan Bopanna went up to the umpire and asked her to award the point to his opponents, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Such sportsmanship in the deciding set of the final is what makes sports so great.
Many would simply stay silent if something like that were to happen during a deciding set of a Grand Slam final. But Bopanna chose the correct thing to do and voluntarily told the referees. As this was the deciding point in the game, he lost but he displayed undeniable sportsmanship.
This year’s U.S. open had many exciting games, record breaking events and exceptional sportsmanship. Hundreds of families across the world enjoyed this year’s matches.
