U.S. Open Preview: Big Money, Equal Pay and Favorites vs. Long Shots
What to know and who to look out for next week
The U.S. Open begins Monday, the final major on the tennis calendar for 2016. You may know that the defending singles champions are Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, but there’s much more to this event than just its headline-makers. Let’s volley around what (and who) makes this two-week event so special:
The U.S. Open Has Equal Pay: The U.S. Open began paying equal prize money in 1973. How many sports (or industries in general) can boast that?
This Year There Is a Record Payout: The singles winners will each receive the largest check in professional tennis history: $3.5 million.
The End Is the Best Part: Fun fact to impress your friends alert! Unlike the other grand slam tournaments (Australian and French Opens, Wimbledon), where no tiebreaker is used in the final set, it is used here after reaching 6–6 in the third set for women or fifth set for men. In the tiebreaker, the first to seven points by a margin of at least two points wins; if the score reaches 6–6, play continues until someone has a two-point margin to win.
The Stadium Had a Major (and Practical) Makeover: A retractable roof for the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Finally, rain delays for those featured matches will be a thing of the past. It only took $150 million and a 6,500-ton steel superstructure that can open and close in just seven minutes. How big is that baby? The bowl of the roof could hold 2.6 billion tennis balls, and the court will be illuminated by 360 LED sports lights.
The Grandstand Stadium now houses an additional 2,000 seats, reaching capacity at 8,125. It has become a uniquely shaped stadium, with 16 sides.
MIA Player: Roger Federer, the very popular 17-time grand slam champion, including five times at the U.S. Open. His balky left knee will keep the 35-year-old out for the first time since 1999.
Now, a sneak peek at the favorites:
Serena Williams: Can she pass Steffi Graf for most grand slam singles titles won in the Open Era by claiming her 23rd? And pass Chris Evert for most U.S. Open singles titles by winning her seventh (and being the top seed for the fifth time)? She tied Graf’s record by winning at Wimbledon. But she is coming off that stunning straight-set loss to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the round of 16 at the Olympics, and since Rio she has been dealing with a right shoulder problem that led her to withdraw from the recent tournament in Cincinnati. Last year Williams was ousted in the Open semifinals by Italy’s Roberta Vinci, who stopped the American’s bid for a calendar-year grand slam.
Angelique Kerber: The German left-hander is the №2 seed, entering the Open with a 47–14 singles record this year and a silver medal from the Summer Games in Rio. Kerber is hoping to win her second grand slam final, on the heels of defeating Williams at the Australian Open, then losing to Williams in the Wimbledon final.
Novak Djokovic: The 29-year-old also had a stunning exit from the Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro. Djokovic also skipped the tour stop in Cincinnati, citing a left wrist injury. He has won five of the last seven majors since the start of 2015, 18 titles in all over that span, including seven this year. Djokovic has won 12 major singles titles, five behind all-time leader Federer, including completing the career grand slam by winning at the French Open in June. But he was upset in the third round at Wimbledon by American Sam Querrey, rallied to win at Toronto, then the Olympic disaster. He comes to New York looking for his third U.S. Open title.
Andy Murray: Fresh from winning gold at the Summer Olympics, Murray is going for his second U.S. Open title to add to his 2012 victory. Murray, also 29 (born one week before Djokovic), was runner-up at the Australian and French Opens this year and won at Wimbledon for his third grand slam title. His career-best 22-match winning streak ended in the final at Cincinnati with a loss to Marin Cilic.
And… a look at the long shots:
Puerto Rican Monica Puig won gold at the Summer Olympics by defeating Kerber in three sets; Venezuelan Garbine Muguruza beat Williams in the French Open final but is a clay court specialist; Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska is 32–13 in singles matches this year, with one title; American Madison Keys, who has moved into the top 10 in the rankings and has made the round of 16 at each grand slam this year.
Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, ranked 103rd in the world, earned a wild card into the Open primarily off his highly unexpected victory against Djokovic in Rio. Del Potro went on to win silver, also beating Rafael Nadal before losing to Murray in the final. He tweeted the Olympics was the most incredible week of his life; Nadal, who won the U.S. Open in 2010 and 2013, missed the French Open and Wimbledon this year with a wrist injury but resurfaced to win gold in doubles at Rio; Canadian Milos Raonic was runner-up to Murray at Wimbledon and sports a booming serve to go with his 6–6 frame that should get him to at least the quarterfinals for the first time at the U.S. Open.
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