Tag: 2023 US Open

Aryna Sabalenka’s racket lost a battle with the floor after Coco Gauff’s U.S. Open win

Aryna Sabalenka beat her racket into submission after Coco Gauff’s U.S. Open win.

After she won the U.S. Open, Coco Gauff thanked those who doubted her, making light work of her opponents during the tournament, much to the dismay of her “haters.” Aryna Sabalenka was on that list and took that message personally.

After taking the first set, Sabalenka lost to Gauff in straight sets, handing Gauff her biggest career win. But Sabalenka’s pride was not the only thing that took a beating that day. A poor, unfortunate tennis racket also lost a battle.

Post-match, Sabalenka beat her racket into submission, allowing the floor to do the work she could not do on the court.

Afterward, she promptly tossed it into the trash.

In a wild twist, Sabalenka is now ranked No. 1 worldwide after losing to Gauff. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a situation where it’s better to lose a major tournament than to win and beat a top-ten player.

Sending thoughts and good vibes to future rackets. May the odds be ever in their favor.

Novak Djokovic hangs up the phone on Ben Shelton with ice-cold celebration at US Open

Novak Djokovic gave the budding star a taste of his own medicine after knocking off Ben Shelton in straight sets during Friday’s semifinal.

Ben Shelton’s magical run at the 2023 U.S. Open came to an end on Friday afternoon.

The 20-year-old stunned No. 10-seeded Francis Tiafoe in the men’s singles quarterfinal round, but he was overpowered by two-seeded Novak Djokovic, a three-time singles champion at the event, in the semifinal round at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

After knocking off Tiafoe on Tuesday night, Shelton sported his trademark phone celebration. But when Djokovic defeated Shelton in straight sets to advance to the final round, the all-time leader in men’s Grand Slam singles titles returned the favor.

Djokovic mimicked Shelton’s phone hand signal before emphatically hanging it up.

Shelton, who turned pro last August and reached the quarterfinal round of his first Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open earlier this year, undoubtedly has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, potentially as the face of U.S. men’s tennis.

But he ran into a juggernaut in Djokovic — one of the greatest players of all time — who didn’t hesitate to give Shelton a taste of his own medicine.

5 Ben Shelton facts about the U.S. Open breakout star, including his awesome phone celebration

Get to know the American tennis star.

Is Ben Shelton the next great tennis star from the United States?

He sure looked the part in his 2023 U.S. Open quarterfinal win over fellow American Francis Tiafoe on Tuesday night in Queens. Shelton won in four sets, and now he gets to face the toughest test in the semis: He’ll be playing Novak Djokovic, and the winner moves on to the final.

Before we get to that, we’ve got to get to know Shelton as he bursts on to the scene. The 20-year-old looks like the real deal, so here are some facts about him to get to know the young star:

21 celebrities who showed up to watch the 2023 US Open, including Aaron Rodgers

The celebrities were out in full force at the 2023 US Open in Queens.

It’s once again time for the US Open, the premier tennis tournament in the United States. As the last leg of the Grand Slam, all eyes will be on Queens, New York as the biggest storylines in the tennis world unfold before our very eyes.

Plus, of course, it’s also a hotbed of celebrity activity, as stars from all over descend on New York to take in the historic tournament. Many high profile names have attended the tournament in the past. Most recently, stars flocked to Serena Williams’ likely final US Open appearance last year in support of the tennis great.

From Aaron Rodgers to the Obamas, here are the biggest celebrities who made appearances at the 2023 US Open.

Daniil Medvedev yells at ‘stupid’ U.S. Open fan to ‘shut up,’ and her reaction was the best

This escalated!

Ah, it’s that time of year again: When the days grow shorter, football is nearly upon us … and Daniil Medvedev is getting into it with fans at the U.S. Open.

We’ve seen this happen before and on Thursday night, the jeers may have gotten to the pro before he overcame them to beat Christopher O’Connell at Louis Armstrong Stadium in four sets.

There was one moment in which one fan yelled right before a serve. You can hear him say, “Can you shut up? … Are you stupid or what?” And the fan he’s aiming that at blew him a kiss. Too funny!

His post-match interview is just amazing:

Coco Gauff reveals she learned her competitive mentality from US Open supporter Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler has truly helped inspire tennis star Coco Gauff.

While competing at the US Open this year, Coco Gauff has had the support of Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

Gauff, who is ranked No. 6 in the official women’s tennis rankings, has won both of her matches during the opening rounds of the US Open tournament in New York. The 19-year-old Gauff won her most recent match against Mirra Andreeva in straight sets.

She is already off to a much better start at the US Open than she had at Wimbledon in London earlier this summer when she was eliminated in the first round by Sofia Kenin.

According to Gauff, recently crowned champion at both the Washington Open and the Western & Southern Open, it is mostly a mentality change that has contributed to her winning ways. Gauff said that so much of that mindset was actually inspired by Butler (via NY Daily News):

“That switch I had in the last couple weeks. people think some incredible thing happened,” the sixth-seeded Gauff said. “But realistically, the two weeks between Wimbledon and the next tournament I played, nothing could have really changed that much. It was really just the mental thing. I think that’s what I learned from watching Jimmy compete over the years.”

Butler is celebrated for his wildly competitive approach on the court, so he is a perfect person to help Gauff channel her mental tenacity.

RELATED: Jimmy Butler says ‘I’m just a sweetheart until you poke the bear and we’re competing’

While attending the US Open this week, Butler was asked about his friendship with Gauff (via ESPN):

“She is so emotional, in a good way, and she is a champion and I love that she is from the city that I work in and I love to be here and support her and I want her to win every single time.”

Butler, who stole the show at the Stars of the Open Exhibition Match to Benefit Ukraine Relief last week, was seen in the stands looking ultra-focused while Gauff competed on the court.

Earlier this year, when he spoke to For The Win, the Heat star said that tennis was tied with basketball for his “second-favorite” sport.

As he continues to show his support to Gauff, hopefully, it can help inspire her to keep playing well under the bright lights of the US Open.

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Grass surface? US Open players talk of weed smell wafting into 1 specific court

What’s that smell at the US Open?

Court 17 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has become notorious for a funny reason during the 2023 U.S. Open.

Multiple players have complained about the smell of marijuana (which is legal in New York) courtwafting in from … somewhere. Is it someone lighting up in the stands while the tournament is going on?

My theory, as someone who has played and visited there: It’s possible the smell is coming from Corona Park, which is adjacent to the court. But either way, this is a trend.

“It was weed,” Maria Sakkari mentioned after her first-round loss, via USA TODAY Sports. “The smell, oh my gosh.”

She also smelled it during practice, and added that it didn’t affect her match.

Alexander Zverev said the same, with this funny quote:

Is it weed? Will it continue to be a trend? We’ll see.

Coco Guaff threw so much shade at U.S. Open opponent she complained about with 1 word

Gauff had issues with her first 2023 U.S. Open opponent, so she threw a ton of shade at her after a win.

Coco Gauff won on Monday night in her opening 2023 U.S. Open match against Laura Siegemund, but it didn’t come without controversy.

Gauff accused Sigemeund of taking too much time between points and that included being ready for when Gauff was. So the American star complained to chair umpire Marijana Veljovic — you can hear the whole rant below that the umpire seemed to brush off.

But Gauff won. And when she was asked after the victory what it was like to play in that match, she delivered a one-word answer that was perfect: “Slow.”

So much shade! Here’s that moment to enjoy:

And some complaints from Gauff and one from Siegemund:

This wonderful moment between Caroline Wozniacki and husband David Lee helped push her back to tennis

Shoutout to David Lee, man.

Caroline Wozniacki is back, folks. The former world No. 1 ranked WTA player confirmed that she’s returning to tennis after a 3-year hiatus in a piece she did with Vogue. 

Wozniacki revealed that she’d retired from the game in 2020 after discovering she had rheumatoid arthritis. She’d worked herself to a point where she could control it by changing her diet and constantly keeping her joints active, but it’d become exhausting.

So Wozniacki decided to step away from tennis just two years after she’d won the 2018 Australian Open at 29 years old. She’d spent time with her husband, former NBA player David Lee, and their families. They had a family of their own, too, after having two kids.

But, of course, to the observer, it felt like there was unfinished business there following Wozniacki’s departure from the game. Wozniacki apparently felt the same, too.

She’d gotten the urge to play again. And, it seems, a quick little conversation between Wozniacki and Lee helped her decide to give tennis a shot again.

“A few weeks later, between Christmas and New Year’s, David and the children and my dad and my mom were on a beach. Olivia was running around, having a blast, and as I sat there looking out across the water, I just kind of blurted out to David: “I’ve been hitting it well.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve been watching.”

“Should I come back?” I asked, more rhetorically than anything.

“Honestly, why not?” David said, after a moment. “We only live once,”.” 

And, just like that, Caroline Wozniacki is coming back for the US Open later in 2023. Shoutout to David Lee for being a good, supportive husband. We all get to benefit from it now.

Wyndham Clark’s high school classmate Christian McCaffrey congratulated the US Open winner on Instagram

The two went to high school together.

Hey, did you know Christian McCaffrey — yes, that Christian McCaffrey who is a really good player at the game of football  — went to high school with 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark?

It’s true! They both went to Valor Christian High School in Colorado and the running back congratulated Clark back in May on the golfer’s first-ever PGA Tour win with a victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Fast-forward to Sunday. Clark won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and McCaffrey was for sure watching. He posted the video of the moment Clark won and kept it simple with his message:

Lovely!