Before Wimbledon in 2019, I remember skimming over the list of men's favorites at a number of sites. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal ... Felix Auger-Aliassime? He was 18 years old at the time and ranked 21st in the world, but no worse than the sixth-favorite anywhere I looked. Auger-Aliassime had famously owned Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat each member of the Big Three before age 21 and enjoyed plenty of hype at the time, in juniors.
Sinner extended his indoor winning streak to 25 matches, including a victory over Zverev in the Vienna final last weekend. He beat Zverev -- the defending champion in Paris -- for the fourth straight time to lead 5-4 in their career meetings. The second-seeded Sinner was 5-0 up in 25 minutes and then served out a first set in which he won 90% of his first-serve points, compared to only 47% for Zverev. He had five break points on Zverev's serve, converting two of them.
Editor's note:Also note: Public display of the results is capped at 50,000 votes. If the poll surpasses 50,000 votes, we will keep track of the results internally. We prohibit the use of bots and any other artificial methods of voting. Suspicious activity could lead to the disqualification of candidates and a permanent suspension of the Athlete of the Week poll. No voting by email: Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted. For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.
Aryna Sabalenka thought she had everything figured out. She believed she had done all the work necessary, harnessing successfully her once uncontrollable power into consistent excellence. After overcoming so many hurdles en route to becoming the best player in the world, she felt ready for anything. Sabalenka was convinced she could handle any challenge that came her way. It was not until her excruciating French Open final defeat against Coco Gauff that Sabalenka understood this was not true.
Nothing says late August in New York quite like the U.S. Open - the city's unofficial fifth season where tennis takes over and style plays as hard as the athletes. This year, Siegelman Stable and Prince are joining forces for the first time, stepping onto the court with a co-branded capsule that feels as sharp as a clean forehand winner. It's not just tennis gear; it's a cultural rally point where nostalgia meets contemporary cool.
Daniel Altmaier had nothing more to say. Moments after one of the biggest wins of his career, the German unwittingly found himself on the receiving end of Stefanos Tsitsipas's ire during their handshake at the net. Before Tsitsipas could finish, though, Altmaier had walked away from the net and he refused to engage in the Greek's attempts to argue with him.
Going into this Grand Slam, Townsend had nowhere near the star power or the name recognition of fellow Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, and she is not even seeded in singles play. Yet the 29-year-old, who is half of the top-ranked women's doubles team in the world and was No 1 as a junior player, has become one of the biggest stories of the tournament through no fault of her own.
This article was last updated in 2022 but, with the US Open upon us, we're giving it another swing. Tennis is a sport of personal intensity and triumph. Granted, there are ways to play tennis in teams, from doubles to Billie Jean King's long-standing dream of making World Team Tennis one of our major sports. But at its core, tennis is about individuals, which is why it lends itself surprisingly well to the movies.
NEW YORK -- When Frances Tiafoe walked onto the court on Monday for his first-round match at the US Open, he knew it could be the last time he had the chance to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It wasn't Yoshihito Nishioka, his far less seasoned opponent, or the back injury that plagued him earlier this month in Cincinnati, or even a lack of confidence that made him feel that way.