Tennis
ANALYSIS: WIN IN ‘CRUEL’ US OPEN FINAL SHOWS THIEM’S PROMISE
By HOWARD FENDRICH
Fifteen hours after Dominic Thiem collapsed on the court as the U.S. Open champion — his mind weary, his legs weak — he smiled when asked how he felt getting out of bed Monday.
“Well, I didn’t wake up today, because I didn’t sleep for one second. I was still full of emotions, full of adrenaline,” Thiem said from Arthur Ashe Stadium in a video interview with two reporters, his new trophy at arm’s reach. “We were sitting having dinner in the room until, like 4 (a.m.), and then just couldn’t fall asleep. But it’s fine.”
Of course it’s fine. After all, the 27-year-old from Austria went into Sunday 0-3 in Grand Slam finals and dealt with all of the doubts that came along with that record.
And now? He is the first new men’s Grand Slam champion in six years.
For all the talent and confidence someone like Thiem might possess, it takes actually doing something to know that it truly was possible.
He emerged to beat Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Sunday night in the first U.S. Open final decided by a fifth-set tiebreaker. The victory also came via the first comeback from a two-set deficit in the tournament’s final since 1949.
“A cruel match,” Thiem called it. “A big drama.”
Consider the other side of the net, for a moment: Zverev was up by two sets and a break, and he let that entire lead get away.
Then he went ahead 5-3 in the fifth and served for the championship. That slipped through his grasp, too.
“I was a few games away, maybe a few points away,” Zverev said. “I mean, I’m 23 years old. I don’t think it’s my last chance. I do believe that I will be a Grand Slam champion at some point.”
While it’s certainly not time to write off the Big Three just yet, Thiem’s victory at the U.S. Open showed him — and everyone else — that he is the guy who could be ready to emerge from the pack as more and more opportunities to win major trophies arise.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had combined to win the 13 preceding Grand Slam tournaments (and 56 of the past 67), and while Federer is out for the season after two knee operations, the other two will be eager to start a new streak at the French Open, which is right around the corner.
That’s because while the hard courts of Flushing Meadows usually close the Grand Slam season, the clay courts of Roland Garros follow in this most unusual year. The French Open was postponed from May due to the coranvirus pandemic and is scheduled to start in Paris on Sept. 27 (and, unlike the U.S. Open, with fans allowed).
“For sure, Dominic needs to rest, to recover,” said his coach, Nicolas Massu, “then we start to practice again on clay.”
Thiem said he would fly to Vienna on Monday, give himself some time off until next weekend, then get on the red stuff to prepare for Roland Garros.
He figures what happened Sunday — well, over the past two weeks, really — will change how he views himself the next time he competes.
And, he hopes, forever.
The way Thiem sees it, he became a different person, a different player, on Sunday.
He finally was able to move past his heavy-on-the-mind setbacks in the finals of the 2018 and 2019 French Open against Nadal and the 2020 Australian Open against Djokovic.
“Every Grand Slam tournament was also a huge amount of pressure for me, especially when I started to lose the first final, then the second, then this pretty painful loss in Australia earlier this year. So the pressure got bigger and bigger, somehow,” Thiem said.
“And it’s all gone now, obviously, because no matter what happens from now on, I can always say that I’m a U.S. Open champion. That’s absolutely amazing to me,” he continued. “I hope it frees me up a little bit, that it relaxes me a little bit on court, and makes me better.”
-AP
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Howard Fendrich covers tennis for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich or write to him at hfendrich@ap.org
Tennis
Osaka parts way with her coach
Naomi Osaka has parted ways with coach Wim Fissette after four years together across two stints, the 26-year-old announced late on Friday.
The former world number one won two of her four Grand Slam titles under the guidance of the Belgian, but is currently 75th in the rankings having returned to the tour nine months ago after a lengthy maternity break.
“Four years, two slams and a whole lot of memories,” Osaka wrote in an Instagram post.
“Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best.”
Of the 16 tournaments Osaka has played this season, she has made the quarter-finals in only two – Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch – and the Japanese player has also failed to go past the second round in each of the four Grand Slams
-Reuters
Tennis
Five US women in top 15 in the world for first time in two decades
Five players from the United States are ranked in the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 15 for the first time in two decades, the USTA said on Monday.
World number two Coco Gauff led the American charge followed by sixth-ranked Jessica Pegula and Danielle Collins, who climbed two spots to ninth on the list amid a remarkable farewell season.
Madison Keys was ranked 14th while Emma Navarro hopped two spots to a career-high 15th after reaching her first major quarter-final at Wimbledon.
The last time five American women featured in the top 15 was May 24, 2004, when Lindsay Davenport was fourth in the world
-Reuters
Tennis
Venus Williams among sporting figures to get own Barbie doll
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and Australian soccer player Mary Fowler are among nine athletes to get a Barbie doll in their likeness as toy maker Mattel seeks to shine a light on women sports role models ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Mattel unveiled the dolls on Wednesday, each with their bespoke accessories. Fowler’s wears gloves and holds a football while Williams’ doll, dressed in an all white tennis dress and visor as well as wearing earrings, comes with a miniature racket.
The former world number one said she hoped to motivate young girls into sports with the doll.
“I literally can’t imagine my life without sports and without the game,” Williams said in a video, in which she held the doll.
“I want other young girls to have that invaluable experience of playing a sport and what it teaches you and what you learn and what you take from it, not just that moment (but) for the rest of your life… I think it’s so important for girls to be in sports.”
Other sports figures to have a doll in their likeness include French boxer Estelle Mossely, Polish sprinter Ewa Swoboda, Spanish doctor and paratriathlon athlete Susana Rodriguez, Italian former swimmer Federica Pellegrini, Canadian soccer player Christine Sinclair as well as Mexican and Brazilian gymnasts, Alexa Moreno and Rebeca Andrade.
The dolls, unveiled as Barbie turns 65 this year, “(recognise) the impact of sport in fostering self-confidence and ambition among the next generation”, Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and Mattel’s Global Head of Dolls, said.
“By shining a light on these inspirational athletes and their stories, we hope to champion the belief that every young girl deserves the opportunity to pursue her passions and turn her dreams into reality,” she said in a statement.
-Reuters
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