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      Novak Djokovic Wins the US Open and a 24th Grand Slam Title

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      Novak Djokovic has won so many Grand Slam singles titles in so many different ways, it is getting extremely difficult to keep track of them.Djokovic, a Serb, further solidified his reputation as the greatest player of the modern era on Sunday with a clinical, straight-sets win over Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Floating across the court and swinging his racket with an ease and grace that top players a decade younger, and even more junior, can mostly only dream about, Djokovic took advantage of a flat start from Medvedev, then outlasted his friend in an epic second set and finally took apart his Monte Carlo neighbor, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3.He did it on an Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he spent most of his career playing the villain in matches against underdogs or longtime crowd favorites like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Sunday was nothing like that. The nearly 24,000 spectators welcomed him with a massive roar, then showered him with the biggest one when Medvedev dumped a shot into the net to give Djokovic the title that has been surprisingly hard for the greatest hardcourt player in the sport’s history to win.“This means the world to me,” he said to the crowd just before lifting the trophy for the fourth time of his career.His turn from foil to protagonist had begun two years ago, near the end of a very different final against the same opponent. On that day, Djokovic walked onto the court trying to become the first man in more than 50 years to win all four Grand Slam tournament titles in a calendar year.Medvedev’s straight-set upset was all but sealed that day when Djokovic was uncharacteristically flat, yet a stadium filled to witness history swaddled Djokovic with a kind of love he had never felt in New York. He sobbed in his chair as it washed over him before the final game.Djokovic missed the U.S. Open last year because of the federal government’s rule prohibiting foreign visitors who had not been vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country. He set foot on American soil for the first time in nearly two years in mid-August to play the Western & Southern Open near Cincinnati. He quickly realized that the love he felt during the 2021 U.S. Open final had not faded.The U.S. Open final took a visible toll on Djokovic, who grimaced and stretched throughout Sunday’s match.Karsten Moran for The New York TimesDjokovic needed every bit of that support Sunday, when, while seemingly on cruise control midway through the second set, Medvedev reverted to form. After a mistake-filled set and a half, the Russian with arms like an octopus and the legs of a gazelle cleaned the errors out of his game, ramped up his serve and did that very effective imitation of a backboard that has previously lifted him to the pinnacle of the sport.Points that lasted longer than 20 shots became routine in a match with its share of 30-shot rallies, and suddenly Djokovic’s legs began to go, like a boxer jarred from a shot to the jaw. He leaned on his racket between points, gasping for breath. He rubbed his head with a bag of ice between games.“I was losing air on so many occasions,” he said. “I don’t recall ever being so exhausted after rallies.”Serving to stay in the second set at 5-6, he stretched his legs before tossing balls in the air. He heaved as he ran for shots, saving set point with two soft volleys.“He was tired,” Medvedev said. “I was all over him.”On to a decisive tiebreaker they went, and even that, like so many points in this video game of a match, went back and forth. Medvedev got within two points of drawing even, winning a lung-searing drop shot exchange. But then, like he had so many times before, Djokovic played three consecutive mistake-free points.When Medvedev bunted a backhand into the net, 104 minutes after the set began, Djokovic had gained a two-set lead, an advantage he has coughed up only once in his career, 13 years ago, before he turned into himself into the nearly indomitable player he would become.He sauntered slowly to his chair, grabbed his bag and headed off the court for a toilet break. Medvedev took off his shirt and called for a trainer, who massaged his shoulders, though after what he had endured during the course of the previous hour and a half, a brain massage was what he really needed.Djokovic willed his way to win the second set after a tiebreaker with Medvedev.Karsten Moran for The New York TimesWhen he returned to the court, Djokovic was floating once more, the adrenaline of another championship and record in sight delivering a rediscovered spring in his step. He flew toward the net, taking advantage of an opponent who plays so deep in the court he often looks like he is about to hit the back wall on his backswing. No one was going to take this sweet return to America away from Djokovic this time.It seems every time he plays a tournament these days he sets a record in men’s tennis, and usually he is besting one of his own. Djokovic began the year in Melbourne, where he won a record 10th Australian Open title. Sunday brought his 24th Grand Slam singles title, upping his men’s record of 23 that he set at the French Open in June.On Friday he played in a record 47th Grand Slam semifinal, one more than Federer. Three weeks ago he won a record 39th title at a Masters 1000 tournament, the events just below the level of the Grand Slams. On Sunday he played in his 36th Grand Slam final.His performance at the U.S. Open guaranteed even before he took the court for his final matches that he would wake up Monday morning as the No. 1 player in the world, reclaiming the top spot from Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old Spanish sensation. That will mark his 390th week at the top of the sport. He already had that record, too.“What are you still doing here,” Medvedev, 27, said to Djokovic, 36, who has been keeping him from winning titles since he first broke into the top levels of tennis six years ago.Toweling off in a corner of the court before serving for match point, catching his breath for one final time, Djokovic looked at the fans in the front rows and nodded his head, his eyes wide. Moments later he was kneeling on the court, his shoulders shaking as tears flowed once more. When he rose he walked over to the stands and lifted his daughter, Tara, who is 6 and barely able to sit through a tennis match. She often colors in books on the floors of stadiums while her father is playing.Djokovic hugged his daughter, Tara, after winning his 24th Grand Slam singles title.Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times“Tennis is not really her thing,” he said with a grin and quizzical look earlier this year.It is now. She watched from the side of the court on Sunday, and Djokovic said whenever he needed a lift he looked over to see her smiling and pumping a fist, and he believed all would be well.Then came the embraces with the rest of his family in the stands. When he returned to the court, he swapped out his sweaty kit for a shirt with a picture of him and Kobe Bryant, his sports hero, friend, and sometimes mentor, whose jersey number was 24 when he ended his N.B.A. career. That number was on the back of Djokovic’s shirt.“It is a pity about Wimbledon, couple of points either way,” said his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, lamenting Djokovic’s lone loss in 28 Grand Slam matches this year, in five sets to Alcaraz in July. Ivanisevic said he and Djokovic never talked about that loss after that day. “That’s what makes him great.”Days before this tournament, Djokovic reflected on the heartbreaking but heartwarming day two years ago when Medvedev stopped him one match shy of perhaps the ultimate tennis achievement. He still felt the warmth from the New York crowd that had finally taken to him.“They love sport and they also love when they are experiencing something special,” he said. “They genuinely backed me up and wanted me to win and wanted me to make history.”In retrospect, he said, he buckled under the weight of that, as he has rarely done.This time around, Djokovic prohibited his family from mentioning anything about history, opting to keep this match as simple and as clear as it could be.The New York fans had to wait two years to see it, but on Sunday they finally did. Chances are they may see it again. More

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      Djokovic Honors Kobe Bryant With ‘Mamba Forever’ Shirt

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      Moments after Novak Djokovic won the U.S. Open men’s singles final on Sunday night, he pulled a T-shirt out his bag and put it on.The shirt said “Mamba Forever” and had an image of Djokovic together with Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star who died in a helicopter crash in 2020 with one of his daughters and seven others.Across the back, the shirt also had a No. 24, which Bryant used for 10 seasons with the Lakers (he also used No. 8 for 10 seasons).Djokovic said in an interview on the court during the trophy ceremony that the idea for the tribute came as he realized his 24th Grand Slam singles title was within reach, giving him a chance to connect with a meaningful number from Bryant’s career.“I thought 24 is the jersey that he wore when he became a legend of Lakers and world basketball,” Djokovic said. “So I thought it would be a nice symbolic thing to acknowledge him.”Djokovic added that he had a close relationship with Bryant and often sought the basketball star’s advice, especially as he tried to recover from injuries.Many athletes have praised Bryant over the years for his relentless drive, nicknamed the Mamba Mentality, which he showed repeatedly as he pursued N.B.A. championships (he won five) and tried to show himself to be the best player on the court.“We chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality,” Djokovic said. “He was one of the people that I relied on the most. He was always there for any kind of counsel, advice, any kind of support in a most friendly way.”Djokovic’s shirt is not the first ode to Bryant from a U.S. Open winner. When Naomi Osaka won the tournament in 2020, defeating Victoria Azarenka, she returned to the court after her match to pose for a picture with her trophy wearing a No. 8 Bryant jersey.“I wore this jersey every day after my matches,” Osaka said on Instagram. “I truly think it gave me strength. Always.” More

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      At the U.S. Open, Coco Gauff and Company Stake Their Claim

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      Last year’s U.S. Open focused on goodbyes. This year, Gauff, the new singles champion, along with Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, burst through the front door with plans to stay.Led by Coco Gauff and a cast of charismatic upstarts, tennis hit a sweet spot at this year’s U.S. Open with a diverse blend of old and right now, signaling the game is freshly and firmly energized as it enters a new era.No Serena Williams. No Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.No problem.True enough, Novak Djokovic, who won the 24th major title of his career on Sunday by beating Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final, is still performing his magic act. But conventional thinking contended that tennis would be in trouble when the legendary champions who propped up the professional game for roughly the past two decades began leaving the game en masse.At this tournament, the commanding arrival of Gauff, who won the women’s singles title Saturday evening, along with memorable performances by Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, proved that thinking wrong.At the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a quartet of legends no longer stifled the game, overshadowing the sometimes stalled forward motion of the young players coming behind. You could feel it on the grounds, which filled with so many spectators that it often appeared there was no space to move without bruising a shoulder. This year’s event set attendance records nearly every day.“It’s incredibly invigorating to see a shift in personalities,” said Kate Koza, a Brooklynite and regular at the Open since 2016, echoing a sentiment I heard repeatedly during the event’s two-week run. “We’re not just seeing the same faces with the same mythical back story.”Tennis is changing, and no player embodied that more than the 19-year-old Gauff, who, ever since she burst onto the scene four years ago with a first-round win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon, appeared destined for this moment.Gauff overcome with emotion after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final.Michelle V. Agins/The New York TimesIn these two weeks at the U.S. Open, she grew entirely into herself. Her dutiful parents — ever at her side all these years on tour, with her father as coach — gave her extra freedom and fell just enough into the background. Gauff thrived, making clear that she is now her own woman. Think of how she demanded that her new coach, Brad Gilbert, tone down his chatterbox instructions during her fourth-round struggle against Caroline Wozniacki.“Please stop,” she instructed, adding a firmness that showed she was the one to dictate her action at this event. “Stop talking!”At Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, she commanded the stage.She leaned into her speed and improving forehand to win four three-set showdowns during the tournament and played like a wily veteran in the most heart-pounding moments.She gained energy from the crowd — look, there’s Barack and Michelle Obama, and over there, Justin Bieber. “I saw pretty much every celebrity they showed on that screen,” she said, adding that she embraced the moment and vowed “to win in front of these people.”As she scorched a final passing shot past Aryna Sabalenka to take the title, falling to her back and then kneeling to soak in the moment through tears, Gauff claimed eternal space in the collective memory. Watching from a dozen rows back from center court, I felt goose bumps and shivers. The massive stadium shook and swayed, most of the 23,000 fans inside the stadium on their feet, cheering and chanting. They wanted this moment, this champion, this fresh start.Since Serena Williams won her first major title as a 17-year-old at the 1999 U.S. Open, the Open has had other Black champions. Her sister Venus in 2000 and 2001. Sloane Stephens in 2017. Naomi Osaka, who is Black and Asian, in 2018 and 2020.But Gauff is the first in a new era — a new champion in a new tennis world — one without the shadow of Serena. The torch has been passed.Sure, most fans hated to see the men’s No. 1 seed, Carlos Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion, go down in an upset to Medvedev in the semifinals. The dream matchup had been a championship between Alcaraz and Djokovic, possessors of the hottest rivalry in men’s tennis.But if we’ve learned anything from the lockdown grip four genius players have had on tennis, it is that the expected course eventually becomes monotonous. Look at it this way: If Djokovic and Alcaraz finally face each other at the U.S. Open, the fact that they were barely denied a Flushing Meadows duel in 2023 will make their matchup that much sweeter.Last year’s U.S. Open, with its send-off celebration of Serena’s retirement and career, turned the page. This year’s tournament closed the book and put it back on the shelf.Ben Shelton’s sensational run at the U.S. Open lasted into the semifinals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.Maansi Srivastava/The New York TimesYou could feel the exuberance in the air from the start, an energy that told a story: Djokovic remains — same as ever — but everyone else in the two fields seemed liberated by losing the shadow of Serena, Nadal and Federer.The men’s quarterfinals featured not only Alcaraz but two resurgent Americans in their mid-20s, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, a fan favorite for his willingness to connect with the crowd.As if to herald the fact that Black players are a budding, booming force in both the men’s and women’s game, Tiafoe and Shelton became the first African American men to face each other in the final eight of a major championship.That wasn’t the only notable footnote. The fast-rising Shelton, 20, was the youngest American to reach a U.S. Open semifinal since 1992. He walloped Tiafoe to get there, wowing crowds with 149-mile-per-hour serves and in-your-face competitiveness that showed he wouldn’t back away from any challenge — even if that challenge was Djokovic.After beating Shelton in a hard-fought, straight-sets win to advance to the men’s final, Djokovic mimicked the celebratory gesture Shelton had flashed throughout the tournament after victory — an imaginary phone to the ear, which he then slammed down, as if to say, “Game, set, match, conversation over.”The wise master remains, still willing to give an education to the young ones for a bit longer. More

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      Coco Gauff Says She’s ‘Ready’ for the Headiest Levels of Fame

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      Gauff, 19, has been in the spotlight since she was a 15-year-old playing Wimbledon, but after she won the U.S. Open singles title, those lights will burn far hotter.The first thing Coco Gauff did after leaving the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium, with her first Grand Slam trophy in hand, was don a sponsor’s T-shirt proclaiming her as a champion. So it begins.Gauff has been in the glaring lights of fame since she was a 15-year-old playing into the fourth round at Wimbledon, but after winning the U.S. Open women’s singles title on Saturday, those lights could become blinding and the fame distracting. Additional endorsement offers will pour in — commercial shoots, appearance opportunities, business projects, investment offers and invitations to A-list social events will pile up in the near and long-term future.Gauff has demonstrated a composed maturity in her time in the public eye, and she declared herself up for the challenge of becoming even more famous and rich, even as she tries to keep winning important tournaments.“I’m ready,” Gauff said after she beat Aryna Sabalenka, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. “I embrace it. I know how to keep my peace, but also embrace all of this around me.”The level of fame that comes with being an American teenager winning the U.S. Open can be spellbinding and daunting for some. Gauff is the first since Serena Williams won in 1999 at the age of 17. Young athletes in every sport have been overwhelmed by early success, fame and money. They may lose focus, party too hard, tap out on the hunger that drove them to their first championship, or became bigheaded.That does not seem to be an issue for Gauff, so far. After accepting her check for $3 million, Gauff casually thanked Billie Jean King, who was also on the stage, for fighting for equal pay for women, a gesture showcasing her perspective, humor and charm, all in one.“She is so humble,” Pere Riba, her coach, said after the match. “Her work ethic is so strong, so professional and she has very good manners. Put all of that together and she will only get better. She can handle it all.”Riba has been working with Gauff, alongside Brad Gilbert, only since June, right before Wimbledon. Gauff’s father, Corey Gauff, asked Riba to be his daughter’s coach this summer on a temporary basis that turned permanent. Coco Gauff said that her father recommended hiring Gilbert, too. But Corey Gauff remains a steady influence and inspiration.“The most important person for Coco on the team is the dad,” Riba said. “The parents are really, really important for her.”Late Saturday night, Corey Gauff emerged into the player garden, where family members and friends had gathered, while Coco Gauff answered questions at a news conference. They cheered and rushed over to him as he held the coach’s trophy, and he smiled humbly and distributed hugs.Gauff’s game still has room to improve, a worrisome fact for opponents. She will probably add some strength to her impressive speed game, and will continue to shore up her forehand, which she mostly cured before the summer hardcourts circuit began.“She still has to continue fixing,” Riba said. “There were old habits, and you have to keep cleaning these up every single day, continue working because it was a long time doing it that way. But she corrects really well.”“This is a big achievement,” Gauff said. “But I feel like I’ve been used to this since I was basically 15 years old.”Karsten Moran for The New York TimesIn the next few days, Gauff’s schedule could be demanding. She will be asked to appear on national television programs and pose for photo shoots. She will be invited to parties. Celebrities will reach out, and some, including former President Barack Obama, who watched Gauff’s first match at this year’s U.S. Open in Ashe, and posted his congratulations to her on social media Saturday, will express their admiration.For players like Emma Raducanu, who won her first U.S. Open at 18 two years ago, claiming a major trophy at an early age brought riches and fame but not yet consistent tennis success. Since then, Raducanu has been ousted before the third round in the five Grand Slam tournaments she entered after her victorious U.S. Open.But Gauff, whose career earnings before Saturday from singles and doubles topped $8 million, was playing in her fifth U.S. Open, and people have been pointing to her for years as the next great American champion. Success did not come in an instant.“This is a big achievement,” she said. “But I feel like I’ve been used to this since I was basically 15 years old. In high school, doing online school, just used to it.”Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, said on Sky Sports after the match that in the next few days Gauff’s head will be spinning “like a washing machine,” with all the attention and responsibilities facing her. But Riba said Gauff is not only prepared for that.“Coco is ready for more,” he said. More

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      The U.S. Open Men’s Singles Final We Only Half Expected: Djokovic vs. Medvedev

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      Novak Djokovic will be playing for his 24th Grand Slam title. Daniil Medvedev will be conjuring his 2021 Open outcome.Follow live updates on the U.S. Open men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.From the day the men’s singles draw came out, the path for Novak Djokovic to reach yet another U.S. Open final seemed clear, and seemed to set up for a showdown with Carlos Alcaraz, which would have been a rematch of this year’s Wimbledon final.This U.S. Open men’s final will get a rematch — just not between Djokovic and Alcaraz. Daniil Medvedev of Russia, after defeating Alcaraz on Friday night in four sets, will play Djokovic on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern for the championship.It will be a rematch of the 2021 U.S. Open final, which Medvedev won, stopping Djokovic from completing a calendar Grand Slam that year.Here’s what you need to know about the match on Sunday:Djokovic and Medvedev took different paths to the final.On paper, it would seem that Djokovic has battered his way through to the championship match. He won five of his six matches in straight sets. But he has faced some formidable opposition along the way. In the third round, Djokovic ran into trouble when he dropped the first two sets to Laslo Djere, a fellow Serbian. But Djokovic was able to will his way back to win, wrapping up at around 1:30 a.m.In the quarterfinals, Djokovic faced Taylor Fritz, the highest ranked American man, and in the semifinals, he took on Ben Shelton, a rising young American.The road to the final has been slightly bumpier for Medvedev than Djokovic. Two of Medvedev’s matches were pushed to four sets, in the second round against Christopher O’Connell and again in the fourth round against Alex de Minaur.Medvedev’s’ toughest opposition came in the semifinals on Friday, when he played Alcaraz. After the first set went to a tiebreaker, it seemed like fans were about to settle in for a long night. But Medvedev dominantly took the second set, 6-1. Alcaraz won the third but could not gain more traction than that, sending Medvedev to the final.Medvedev played spoiler in 2021.Medvedev and Djokovic have been in a U.S. Open final before. Two years ago, Djokovic was looking to complete the calendar Grand Slam, having won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon all in one year (he also competed in the Tokyo Olympics that year, but did not medal and thus lost his chance for a Golden Slam).All Djokovic needed to complete the Grand Slam was win the U.S. Open.But Medvedev spoiled the party. Medvedev went on to win the 2021 U.S. Open final in straight sets, keeping Djokovic from completing the calendar slam.The match was bizarre at times, and in it, Djokovic displayed emotions fans aren’t used to seeing. At one point in the third set, Djokovic covered his face with a towel and then appeared to begin crying and shaking, a sign of how much completing the calendar slam meant to him.Medvedev said on Friday that Djokovic finds ways to improve after losses, making this year’s final more difficult.“When he loses, he’s never the same after,” Medvedev said, referring to the 2021 final. “He’s going to be 10 times better than he was that day, and I have to be, if I want to still beat him, 10 times better than I was that day.”Djokovic leads their head-to-head.Djokovic and Medvedev have played each other 14 times, and Djokovic has had the advantage with nine wins. Their most recent matchup was in March at a tournament in Dubai, which Medvedev won, 6-4, 6-4.While Medvedev was able to spoil Djokovic’s shot at the Grand Slam in 2021, Medvedev acknowledged on Friday night that playing Djokovic won’t be easy.“Novak is going to be his best version on Sunday,” Medvedev said. “And I have to be the best-ever version of myself if I want to try to beat him.”Djokovic is looking for No. 24.Anytime Djokovic plays in a Grand Slam final, there is the potential for history to unfold. With 23 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic has surpassed Rafael Nadal, who has 22, and Roger Federer, with 20.With Federer now retired and Nadal away from the game because of an injury, Djokovic has the chance to distance himself from his counterparts in the Big Three of men’s tennis. But Djokovic said on Friday night that he has tried not to focus too much on the numbers.“I’m aware of it, and of course I’m very proud of it,” he said. “But again, I don’t have much time nor do I allow myself to reflect on these things.”Djokovic recalled a similar historical weight when he lost the 2021 U.S. Open final, and said he doesn’t want that to happen again.“I’ll try to just focus on what needs to be done and tactically prepare myself for that match,” he said.Keep an eye on Medvedev’s return position.Those who have been more focused this tournament on players like Frances Tiafoe, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton, may have one big question on their minds when they watch Medvedev play: Why does he stand so far back from the baseline to return serves?It might look like a disadvantage to Medvedev, but he uses the position in his favor. By standing so far away from the baseline, sometimes up to 20 feet, Medvedev gives himself more time to return the serve. He also uses the tactic as a tool to strengthen his positioning during the point itself; by starting far behind the baseline, he all but guarantees that he will move forward as the point develops.The strategy, of course, has its cons. By standing so far back and taking more time, Medvedev leaves more court space open and gives his opponents more time to get into an advantageous position for their next stroke after the serve. More

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      Amid U.S. Open Fanfare, U.S.T.A. Fights Questions of Its Handling of Sexual Abuse

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      Kylie McKenzie accused a U.S.T.A. coach of inappropriately touching her when she was 19. In depositions, the organization has questioned her sexual history.For several months, the United States Tennis Association has positioned this year’s U.S. Open as a key moment to celebrate its 50-year record of leadership on women’s equity and empowerment, tied to its payment of equal prize money to its top players.At the same time, it has been litigating its handling of accusations of sexual assault made by a female player who worked with a male coach at the U.S.T.A.’s marquee training center in Florida, with depositions that have included detailed questioning about the woman’s sexual history.Kylie McKenzie, a 24-year-old from Arizona who was once one of the most promising junior players in the country, sued the U.S.T.A. last year, claiming the organization had failed to protect her from a coach who inappropriately touched her after a practice in 2018, when she was 19 and he was 34.Attempts to mediate a settlement have not been successful, prompting lawyers to begin to depose witnesses as they prepare for a possible trial.During those depositions, a lawyer for the U.S.T.A. asked McKenzie about how many sexual partners she had had before the incident, about medications she had taken to treat anxiety and depression, and about the nature of her discussions with her therapist.The lawyer asked the player’s mother, Kathleen McKenzie, whether she knew that her daughter had taken birth control pills and a morning-after pill.The types of questions, though common in lawsuits centered on sexual abuse, have been widely criticized by advocates for victims, who say they discourage women from coming forward when they are abused.“This is what always happens,” said Pam Shriver, a former player and television commentator who was deposed in the case as a witness for McKenzie and who has worked with the U.S.T.A. on and off for years.In a statement, Chris Widmaier, chief spokesman for the U.S.T.A., said the organization had “no intention of revictimizing or shaming” McKenzie in any way. “We were given inconsistent testimony and were simply seeking to determine which version was true,” he said.Shriver testified that U.S.T.A.’s top lawyer, Staciellen Mischel, last year warned her to “be careful” about her public statements on sexual abuse in tennis. Shriver has become an ally of McKenzie’s since going public with her own story of abuse last year in an interview with The New York Times.When a lawyer representing the U.S.T.A. in the McKenzie case asked Shriver whether anyone at the U.S.T.A. had discouraged her from speaking out about sexual abuse, she responded: “Depends how you interpret the conversation from Staciellen. Part of my interpretation was that I needed to be careful. And in that interpretation, meaning don’t say too much.”When asked about Mischel’s conversation with Shriver, Widmaier said the organization had deep sympathy for Shriver. “We would never stifle anyone from telling her story,” he said.McKenzie’s case stems from her work with a coach, Anibal Aranda, who worked at the U.S.T.A.’s center. The organization had supported her development since she was 12, and she had spent time training at its centers in California and Florida. McKenzie described an escalation of physical contact and isolation that made her uncomfortable. She initially thought that Aranda had different norms for physical contact because he had grown up in Paraguay before moving to the United States. Then, on Nov. 9, 2018, Aranda sat close to her on a bench after practice so that their legs were touching and then put his hand between her thighs, she said.McKenzie quickly reported the incident to friends, relatives, U.S.T.A. officials and law enforcement. The U.S.T.A. promptly suspended and then fired Aranda, who denied touching McKenzie inappropriately. A lengthy investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the organization tasked with investigating sexual and physical abuse claims in sports, found it “more likely than not” that Aranda had assaulted McKenzie. The police took a statement from McKenzie, stated there was probable cause for a charge of battery and then turned the evidence over to local prosecutors, who opted not to pursue a criminal case.Aranda did not return repeated messages seeking comment.McKenzie said she soon began to experience panic attacks and depression, which have hampered her attempts to progress in her sport.During the SafeSport investigation, a U.S.T.A. employee said that Aranda had groped her and touched her vagina over her clothes at a New York dance club around 2015. She did not disclose the incident to anyone at the time. The employee told SafeSport that after she learned about McKenzie’s accusations, she regretted not reporting her interaction with Aranda.Widmaier has said previously that the U.S.T.A. only learned about the accusations made by one of its employees toward Aranda after McKenzie reported her complaint to the authorities, and that it moved to fire Aranda immediately.McKenzie has spent the year playing in lower-tier tournaments while battling anxiety and depression. As of late last month, she was ranked 820th in the world.In April, weeks after she made the final of a tournament in Tunisia, she testified for seven hours in her pretrial deposition. Kevin Shaughnessy, a lawyer at BakerHostetler representing the U.S.T.A., asked her about the weeks leading up to the 2018 incident, and questioned why McKenzie did not report earlier instances of inappropriate touching by Aranda during workouts as he coached her on how to serve.McKenzie said that she did not expect Aranda’s behavior to escalate and that she did not expect to be pursued sexually. “I was naïve,” she said.Shaughnessy then asked her whether she had had a boyfriend previously, or if she had ever had a guy “come on” to her before. When McKenzie said she was not really involved with boys at the time, he asked about the number of sexual partners she had had and whether she had been intimate with a particular player at the training center.In July, Shaughnessy deposed McKenzie’s mother and asked whether she had been told by another U.S.T.A. coach when McKenzie was 14 that her social life was getting in the way of her tennis, and that she should have her phone taken away because she had kissed a boy. Kathleen McKenzie was also asked if her daughter had ever believed she was pregnant.Robert Allard, McKenzie’s lawyer and a specialist in representing victims of sexual assault in sports, said the U.S.T.A.’s questioning showed a strategy of “belittling, embarrassing and intimidating survivors.”Shriver, who has worked to support the U.S.T.A.’s efforts to increase participation and helped raise money for the organization and its foundation, said she was initially torn when Allard asked her to testify. However, she has made supporting tennis players who are assault victims a priority.“In the end, I feel a real pull to support and give some perspective to what it’s like to be a player and have a coaching situation not be professional,” Shriver said on Friday at the U.S. Open, where she was commentating for ESPN. “I feel like supporting young women who have been traumatized.” More

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      Capturing the US Open In Infrared Light

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      The U.S. Open, which I have covered for five years for The New York Times, has no shortage of opportunities for staggering visuals. Especially on a sunny day, when the early afternoon light cuts crisp chiaroscuro shadows on the hardcourts, the players are easily transformed — their bodies contorted like ballet dancers and their faces transfigured by effort and focus as they emerge from deep shadow into brilliant sunshine to reach for a ball.But the event is, and this will come as no surprise to anyone who has attended, absolutely crawling with photographers. All of the major wire services have multiple photographers on site, as do many newspapers and magazines from around the world. And while we all bring something different to our profession that allows us to make unique pictures, I am always thinking of ways to capture the event in a different light. And infrared is, quite literally, different light.Discovered by the astronomer William Herschel in 1800, infrared resides beyond the visible spectrum of humans and has been used for numerous scientific and industrial purposes since the early 1900s — and for art photography since the mid-1900s. The infrared spectrum itself is divided into near-infrared, which is just beyond red, and far-infrared. Near-infrared imaging is used for night vision security cameras or baby monitors, for example, and far-infrared is what Times visual journalist Jonah M. Kessel used to photograph Methane gas in 2019.So perhaps it was my subconscious and heavy reliance on near-infrared — I have a 3-month-old and a 3-year-old at home — that prompted me to bring an infrared-converted camera to the U.S. Open this year. A friend and fellow New York Times freelance photographer, Adam Kane Machia, lent me the camera some time ago, and I had been looking for the right moment to use it.I usually work with two cameras at the Open — one with a telephoto lens that brings me closer to my subjects and the other with a wide-angle lens that expands my field of view — but I also carried a holster with the infrared camera for those moments when I had some extra time.The camera’s sensor assigns visible light colors to its infrared photographs, but infrared is essentially colorless. So much the same way that black-and-white photography strips away the complications of color, I found that infrared photography goes one step further, emphasizing the intensity of light.At the Open, where tens of thousands of people attend on a single day, the crowds can be disorienting. But in infrared light, the players’ colorful clothes fade away in deference to their figures. Ben Shelton’s white-and-pink shirt becomes nearly indistinguishable from the green, blue and yellow uniform worn by a ball crew member. The swoop of a spectator’s wide-brimmed hat reflects light by the practice courts with the same intensity of a young fan’s jumbo, neon green tennis ball awaiting an autograph. Even the red, white and blue of the American flag flying high above the nosebleeds in Arthur Ashe Stadium take a back seat to the light itself. More

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      How to Watch the U.S. Open Final: Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka Play for the Championship

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      Gauff, 19, is the first American teenager to reach the singles final in New York since Serena Williams in 2001.Follow live updates on the U.S. Open women’s final between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.The U.S. Open women’s singles final is set: Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old American, will play Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed from Belarus.The championship match, which is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern, will be Gauff’s first appearance in a U.S. Open final, making her the first American teenager to reach the final in New York since Serena Williams in 2001. Gauff has already played in a Grand Slam final in 2022, when she lost the French Open to Iga Swiatek.Sabalenka, 25, will also be playing in a U.S. Open final for the first time after reaching the semifinals of the tournament in 2021 and 2022. Sabalenka has performed well at Grand Slams this year. She won the Australian Open in January for her first Grand Slam title, and she reached the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon.Here’s what to know about the match.Their roads to the final.Before the semifinals, Sabalenka had sailed through the tournament, winning her first five matches without dropping a set. That streak ended in the semifinal on Thursday against Madison Keys, who took the first set from Sabalenka 6-0 in a swift 30 minutes. But Sabalenka fought back, winning the next two sets on tiebreakers.Gauff’s matches have not been as straightforward. She played a full three sets in the first round against Laura Siegemund, in the third round against Elise Mertens and in the fourth round against Caroline Wozniacki.But since then, Gauff has had back-to-back straight sets wins. In the quarterfinals against Jelena Ostapenko she won 6-0, 6-2, in just over an hour. In the semifinals, Gauff beat Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5.Gauff leads the head-to-head.Sabalenka and Gauff have played against each other five times, and Gauff has won three of those matches. The final will be the first time the two have played each other at a Grand Slam tournament.Sabalenka won their most recent match in straight sets in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells earlier this year. After her match on Thursday, Sabalenka said that she hadn’t thought about that win because Gauff had improved since then.Gauff arrived at the U.S. Open this year after winning titles in Washington, D.C., and at the Western & Southern Open in Ohio.“It’s a different player,” Sabalenka said. “Going into this final, I think I just have to focus on myself and prepare myself for another fight. No matter what, just keep fighting and keep playing my best and do my best.”There’s a spotlight on Gauff.Since Gauff turned pro at 14, she has been under a near-constant spotlight and has often been described as an heir apparent to Serena Williams. Gauff affirmed those descriptions for many when she reached her first Grand Slam singles final last year at the French Open at just 18 years old.Now, as the last American woman standing in the tournament, the focus is on Gauff yet again. Gauff said after her match on Thursday that she had been avoiding social media to block out the expectations people have for her.“I have just been really focusing on myself,” she said. “I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I’m really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks.”Still, Gauff is seeking her first Grand Slam tournament title, and after winning on Thursday, she said on court that the “job’s not done yet,” a reference to the basketball star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020.“That’s the mentality that I have,” Gauff said. “I’m trying to enjoy the moment, but also knowing I still have more work to do. Yes, the final is an incredible achievement, but it’s something that I’m not satisfied with yet.”Don’t count out Sabalenka.After losing the first set of her semifinal match on Thursday without winning a single game, Sabalenka found herself down 4-2 in the second set against Keys. But Sabalenka willed her way back, forcing a tiebreaker in the second set, and then again in the third set.“I’m really proud that I was able to turn around this match,” Sabalenka said.Thursday night was not the first time Sabalenka had pulled off such a comeback. At last year’s tournament, Sabalenka was down — 2-6, 1-5 — in a second-round match against Kaia Kanepi. The match had been Kanepi’s to lose until Sabalenka fought back to win the second set and then the third.Sabalenka said the best way to practice comebacks is in tournaments, but even in practice, she will visualize being down 4-1 in a set.A world No. 1 spot awaits.Even if Sabalenka were to lose the final on Saturday, she would become the new women’s world No. 1 on Monday when the WTA rankings are updated. Sabalenka is guaranteed the top spot after Swiatek, who reigned as the No. 1 player for 75 weeks, was eliminated from the U.S. Open in the fourth round.After her fourth-round match against Daria Kasatkina on Monday, Sabalenka said she wasn’t thinking about the No. 1 spot yet.“I don’t want to celebrate anything before the end of the U.S. Open,” she said. “I just want to focus on this tournament more than on world No. 1.” More