Open Mike: Aguantar (OT)

["Open Mike" is the often off-topic, anything-goes Editorial page of TOP.]

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If you haven't been aware, a Spanish kid has become an absolute sensation in the tennis world. After winning the U.S. Open Championship, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 ranked player ever, at age 19.

Situations conspired to help with that ranking: Novak Djokovic's refusal to be vaccinated has kept him out of tournaments, and, in a completely separate matter, Djokovic was also denied the ranking points from his Wimbledon victory; Wimbledon had its ranking points withdrawn this year because of the tournament's refusal to let Russian and Belarusian players contend. And Rafael Nadal has had his late-career renaissance interrupted by recurring injuries.

In his maiden year on the tour last year, Alcaraz made a name for himself at the '21 Open with a run deep into the tournament before being forced to concede in the quarterfinals with leg cramps. At the end of last year he was ranked 32nd in the world. Then the deluge: so far in in 2022 he has won the Rio Open, the Miami Open, and the Barcelona Open. At the Madrid Open he became the first teenager ever to beat Rafael Nadal on clay (the adoring Spanish fans and press dubbed him "Carlitos," or "little man"), beating Djokovic as well on the way to winning that tournament, too.

Then the U.S. Open in New York. Several of his matches at the Open were epic, including his duel with the rising young American star Frances Tiafoe, 24, and especially the grueling marathon against the young Italian Jannik Sinner, who at 21 is barely older than Alcaraz. Sinner, who clearly played well enough to win against almost anyone, was dejected after the match. It didn't end until 2:50 a.m., a record that will hopefully never be broken. (Who was in charge of that? Fire that guy.) For his part, Alcaraz accomplished another rare feat: he became only the third man in open-era history to win a major after enduring three consecutive five-set matches. The New York Times says his team used the Spanish word aguantar, which means roughly "to bear up" or endure.

Carlos Alcaraz (photo by Yannick Jamot, slightly cropped)

With Roger Federer announcing his retirement just the other day, and the women's GOAT Serena Williams bringing her fabled career to an end at this Open, it's a huge pleasure to watch the new generation beginning to blossom. Here are the short highlights of the Open Final—23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway is the other finalist—and the USTA has also posted extended highlights, which is like watching the whole match cut down to the action. And for an added treat, here are the extended highlights of Alcaraz-Sinner. A brightly-lit shop window showing off the excellence of the modern game. Great fun, and impressive as can be.

Mike

Book o' the Week

Migrant Mother, by Sarah Meister. "Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation on a single work from the collection of MoMA." Forty-two pages with many illustrations. An engaging guided tour of the history and lore of "American photography's Mona Lisa."

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Gary Merken: "Casper Ruud's comments in the post-final interview were heartwarming. The final was held in New York City on September 11. He first paid extended tribute to the memory of those killed in the attacks 21 years ago. He was only two years old at the time of the attacks, making his comments, which showed a sensitive awareness and maturity beyond his years, even more remarkable. I hope to see more from this young man."

Comments

[Albert Smith]

"Novak Djokovic's refusal to be vaccinated has kept him out of tournaments,..."

If he was able to play, he'd walk over everyone, since his vaccinated opponents would be weak, feeble and rotting from within for being foolish enough to take a vaccine that killed... oh yeah, virtually nobody. How long can some people keep believing the conspiracies?

[Jeff]

Tiafoe has a great story of his own. As one of the rare highly ranked African Americans on the Tour, he got his start at College Park, Maryland (home of my alma mater), at the tennis center where his dad had been a day laborer on a construction crew, and later served as on-site custodian. Living at the center 5 days a week with his dad gave Frances the opportunity to learn and love the sport.

[robert e]

Over the past year, Sinner and Alcaraz played four terrific matches on three different surfaces, each taking two. Somewhat surprisingly, Alcaraz won the two hard court matches while Sinner won on grass and clay, the latter a final in Umag in July.

Looks like tennis fans are in for a very entertaining rivalry.

[James]

And, to top it off, he gets an island named after him in San Francisco Bay!

[Stephen Scharf]

It was really a great US Open this year. While I'm always hoping the best for Rafa, it was great to see some true major (no pun intended) talent in the play of Alcaraz, Sinner, Ruud and Tiafoe this year. What impresses me is not only their talent, which is obvious, but also, and perhaps just as importantly, their discipline and maturity for their age.

And, what is it with Spanish male tennis players? They're incredible athletes and competitors and it's very tough to take them down. I've been watching these guys for the better part of 15 years, and have always been impressed with not just Rafa, but the wonderful (now retired) David Ferrer, who I once watched take Juan-Martin Del Potro apart like he had run into a buzzsaw, "Robbie Bats" (Roberto Bautista-Agut), Pablo Carreño-Busta...and now, we have Carlos Alcaraz.

Personally, I wouldn't want to go up against a SEAL team comprised of these guys.

[Patrick Chambers]

Actually Margaret Court is the women's tennis GOAT in terms of major tournaments won. But then she has been 'cancelled' because of her views on marriage and so is now largely forgotten.