This piece will be a little different to the usual recap piece I put together after grand slams.
In my opinion, this was one of the worst grand slams I can remember and a number of familiar factors dragged it down as a spectacle.
A confluence of problematic trends erupted in New York as the competition suffered from the arduous calendar, a shallow men’s field, questionable scheduling, and shoddy spectators.
Rybakina reaches the sport’s peak
If we start on a positive note, Elena Rybakina is an absolutely deserving champion as she bookends her 2026 campaign with major wins and ascension to world no.1.
The Kazakh’s run to the trophy showcased her sumptuous ball striking, resilience and noticeably better movement around the court. In her matches against Naomi Osaka (fourth round) and Aryna Sabalenka (final), Rybakina was beautifully destructive with the cleanest of hitting.
In her battles with Qinwen Zheng and Coco Gauff however, the 27-year-old was forced to persevere through difficult situations to progress. In the end, Rybakina’s best was the highest level of tennis over the fortnight and she rightly secured career major no.3.
On the other side of the net, Sabalenka - an athlete I have much respect for - was disappointingly petulant at the end. Racquet-breaking and cursing at cameramen are not moments you desire from an elite athlete after a grand slam final.
I’d understand the reaction if this was another final where Sabalenka forfeited a leading position, but the 2026 women’s final was dominated by the unquestionable brilliance of Rybakina. The Belarusian did well to stretch it to three sets.
Speaking of stretching, why don’t we leap into the endless calendar debacle.
Days should be numbered for tennis calendar
Rybakina started her 2026 campaign on January 4th in Brisbane. If the world no.1 makes the championship match of the WTA Finals (as she did last year), Rybakina will finish the season on November 15th. That’s a span of 315 days.
It was worse last year for the 27-year-old as her very first match of the season took place in December 2024 at the United Cup. Her last one came the following November at the WTA Finals. The lengthy calendar has been debated for some time.
At Wimbledon this year, Iga Swiatek repeated her frustrations. “Overall, you can see that the schedule is crazy. I’ve been talking about that for years. At the beginning, everybody said I’m just a crybaby, but now more players are talking about it.”
Is it really a coincidence that so many players had physical issues in New York after another long season on ever slower courts?
If we glance at the men’s side for this event:
- Sinner, Jack Draper, Holger Rune and Joao Fonseca missed it through injury
- Alcaraz just returned after over four months out with his wrist problem
- Fatigue seemed to catch up with Novak Djokovic, Flavio Cobolli, Felix Auger-Aliassime as they crashed out early
- And Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Arthur Fils and Rafa Jodar all had surprising off days
Zverev’s majors arrive like buses
Given that smorgasbord of issues across the men’s draw, enter the eventual champion Alexander Zverev who took full advantage of the situation.
The German is a controversial figure atop the sport due to two allegations of physical abuse by previous partners - which he has continuously denied - and the conduct that led him to be thrown out of the Mexican Open in 2022 which he later called “unacceptable.”
Over the fortnight, Zverev used his experience of playing big matches over a prolonged period to outlast opponents. This is the 29-year-old’s 11th year playing grand slam events and he had reached the second week of a slam 25 times before this US Open even began.
The top seed struggled early on with lengthy battles against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys before the radar switched on in round three. Still, like at Roland Garros, the champion did not have to face a top 20 player before the final.
While I think there’s little argument that Zverev is the third best player in the world after Sin-caraz, I don’t believe he would have a major in his trophy cabinet if those men were in his way at Roland Garros or Flushing Meadows.
Unfortunately, as 2016 winner Stan Wawrinka bade farewell to major tennis in New York, we saw the new reality of a men’s draw whose level diminishes considerably without the top two.
Questionable scheduling blights first week
You have to give credit to Ben Shelton for an impressive surge through the tournament, particularly his late, late victory over a tiring Carlos Alcaraz.
It was an enthralling match where both men showed their considerable talents, if not often at the same time. Thankfully, the Spaniard’s wrist looked more than up to the rigours of men’s tennis after a long break.
But Shelton was the real star as he seized the opportunity to challenge the game’s best for over four hours, holding nothing back. Despite the superb shotmaking we witnessed, I did wonder why the best tennis players in the world were competing at almost 3am?
On the first evening, Venus Williams started her match with Sofia Kenin after midnight. Zverev finally overcame Sonego on night three with the clock close to 2am. The German then exceeded that time in his five-setter with Halys on night five.
Can you imagine this in any other sport?
Evening sessions start at 7pm local time and according to tournament director Eric Butorac, it’s to allow New Yorkers to make it to Queen’s during rush hour:
"In New York, it would be a challenge to start before 7 p.m…It's something we're going to address every year. Obviously we've had a couple of late ones to start with. It's just hard when we really want to hit equality. One men's match, one women's match. We feel like 7p.m. is the right time."
While I understand the logic, it seems dependent on an uncompetitive women’s match first up. If that contest goes beyond two hours, you’re into the 9pm hour before the men hit the court and then breaching midnight is inevitable unless it’s a blowout.
This needs further consideration for next year’s edition…along with the inclusion of influencers.
Fans should remember the stars are on the court
I have been regularly attending grand slams since 2019 and I have noticed a decline in attention spans and etiquette over that time.
I was once scolded by a passionate Italian during a Roland Garros match because I spoke to someone during a point. It was shocking at the time, but I actually look back on that moment with nostalgia. Even though we were high up on Court Suzanne Lenglen, he wanted me to show appropriate respect for the play before us.
That sentiment is hard to find now.
You don’t have to move too far from the court at a big event to find spectators completely uninterested in what’s taking place between the lines. It seems more and more attendees turn up to majors so they can tell people online that they are at majors.
This was crystalised at the US Open as influencers and spectators actually put off players as they filmed during the action, sometimes with annoying lighting. While the behaviour of spectators reflects the culture at large, you’d like to think that we can reach a threshold where rules are enforced so that everyone can enjoy the actual tennis without distraction.
So farewell to a tournament that also:
- …had the world no.1 male and female doubles players (Katerina Siniakova/Henry Patten) have to qualify for the mixed doubles event
- …failed to give former champion Stan Wawrinka a wildcard in his last ever grand slam before a late withdrawal left the spot open and the Swiss was given the place
- …contained one of the worst matches I’ve ever seen as Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva resorted to slice forehands in the final set of their quarter-final
- …sold $100 chicken nuggets!
But enough moaning from this writer. A vintage US Open it was not.
Let’s hope for the rest of the 2026 season that Sinner and Alcaraz can get their bodies in good shape for Australia and it would be nice to see continued improvement from Fils, Jodar and Joao Fonseca.
As for the women’s side, things are much healthier with an outstanding new no.1 leading the way. It’s now up to Sabalenka, Swiatek and co. to push Rybakina in the coming months. There are also some exciting prospects on the WTA side, most notably Iva Jovic who already looks a top player at just 18.
Remember, it’s been said that the darkest hour of the night comes just before dawn.
As tennis fans, let’s hope that light breaks through in 2027.
