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      Coco Gauff Won the U.S. Open and Became a Symbol

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      She won the U.S. Open and seized the spotlight as a symbol of her generation.Hours after winning her first United States Open tennis championship, in September, Coco Gauff took her Tiffany trophy for a nighttime swirl around the tournament grounds.Dressed in the summer’s hot color — pink — she lip-synced to the No. 1 single from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice:“I’m bad like the Barbie/I’m a doll, but I still want to party.”At 19, Gauff met the cultural moment and made it her own.“That’s what great content creators do. They capture the essence of moments,” said Kirby Porter, the founder of New Game Labs, a marketing firm that helps start-ups work with athletes. “First, she embodied that in winning. And then that video? I literally downloaded it, and I was like, ‘Yes, Mood!’ That’s exactly how I feel.”Born into a new generation of athlete creators, Gauff became the M.C. for Gen Z with her unscripted authenticity at this U.S. Open. She not only raised her own profile, but lifted women’s tennis in need of a new celebrity after the retirement of Serena Williams.“To me, it’s been in a lull for a couple of years now, without having any personality,” said Zina Garrison, who at Wimbledon in 1990 became the first Black woman to play a major final since Althea Gibson.“It’s like the Women’s Tennis Association didn’t have an identity, and she’s bringing back the identity,” Garrison said of Gauff.Gauff returning a shot during the 2023 China Open in Beijing this month.Yanshan Zhang/Getty ImagesA relentless defender on the court and a self-assured voice off it, Gauff, who was not available to comment, proved that she is primed to make a long-term impact well beyond sports. Inspired by her grandmother Yvonne Lee Odom, who integrated her Florida high school in 1961, Gauff has used her platform to promote social justice, including Black Lives Matter, gender equity and climate change activism.Now ranked No. 3 in the world, Gauff enters this week’s year-end WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, with a more immediate question: Has she recovered from a shoulder injury from a tournament in Beijing this month?After winning 16 straight matches this summer and fall, Gauff lost in the semifinals of the China Open to No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek. Gauff then withdrew from another tournament in China.Her agent, Alessandro Barel Di Sant Albano of Team8, said in an interview that Gauff had a “minor muscle injury” and that she would be ready for Cancun. “She’s going with the mind-set of, ‘I am going to win this tournament,’ ” he said.Team8 has also been busy fielding calls for her.“There’s been at least 100 brands that have reached out,” Barel Di Sant Albano said, adding that Gauff already had seven partnerships, including New Balance, which created her signature shoe.“We’ve always taken the approach of ‘fewer, bigger, better’ and the idea that it doesn’t come and go away overnight,” he said. “If you focus on what happens on the court, it will become much more off the court down the line.”Gauff taking pictures with fans at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., in March.Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressGauff turned pro in 2018 at age 14. She had her breakthrough the following year at Wimbledon, upsetting Venus Williams in the first round and running to the fourth round in a stunning debut. She also won her first W.T.A. tournament in 2019.Gauff marked that four-year anniversary by posting a video on X, formerly Twitter, of her celebrating the moment with the quote: “I want to hug her.”For Gen Z, the social media scrapbook has the receipts. See: Gauff as a bubbly 8-year-old dancing in the stands at the 2012 U.S. Open to “Call Me Maybe.” Nearly 750,000 people followed her Instagram account in the last three months, a rate of growth that ranks first among female tennis players, according to MVP Index, a valuation and data measurement company that focuses on sponsorships in sports and entertainment.On TikTok, ESPN’s replay of Gauff protesting what she said were her opponent’s delay tactics to the chair umpire in her opening match at the Open went viral, drawing 2.7 million likes.In 2022, viewership on ESPN reached record levels during Serena Williams’s farewell in a third-round loss. How would the Open fill that void?According to ESPN, Gauff’s three-set championship victory against Aryna Sabalenka was ESPN’s most-seen women’s tennis final. It peaked at 3.5 million viewers, according to MVP Index.That far surpassed the peak of the men’s final — 2.7 million — when Novak Djokovic trounced Daniil Medvedev. In a summer of surging interest in women’s sports, including in soccer’s World Cup and the W.N.B.A., Gauff’s championship averaged 2.8 million viewers compared with 2.3 million for the men, MVP Index calculated.She tried to FaceTime her brother Codey after she won. During the trophy presentation, Gauff thanked her parents, poking fun at her father for crying, acknowledged Venus and Serena Williams for inspiring her and thanked the trailblazer Billie Jean King, whom the Open was celebrating for making equal prize money possible for women 50 years ago. Gauff won $3 million.But when Gauff delivered her most memorable message, “the whole tone of her voice changed,” said Garrison, who was doing radio commentary. She went from lighthearted to “I have something to say,” Garrison recalled.That’s when Gauff addressed her critics who thought she would not fulfill her potential. They thought they were throwing water on her fire, but were actually throwing gasoline: “I’m really burning so bright right now,” she said.“We could not have scripted the 2023 U.S. Open any better,” said Stacey Allaster, the tournament director, who credited Gauff for understanding her platform. “And then she leans in and she inspires hundreds and thousands of girls to believe in themselves. Let’s just drop the mic.”Joe Favorito, a sports marketing consultant and a former executive with the W.T.A. and U.S. Tennis Association, wondered why he hadn’t seen more of Gauff in advertisements since the Open.“You have to take advantage of things while the spotlight is on you,” he said. “Those are legacy opportunities.”But Garrison disagreed. “I don’t think you have to push it with Coco,” she said. “She’s not going anywhere. Coco’s here to stay.” More

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      Frances Tiafoe Talks of Family, His Game and Race

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      He rose to the top 10 this year and had a good showing at the U.S. Open. His family, he said, means “everything to me.”Frances Tiafoe was making the rounds. Upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside. Touching all corners of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, conducting 90-second interviews, shaking hands, trying hard to manage a smile for everyone in his path.It was the eve of the United States Open last month, and Tiafoe, 25, was returning to the scene of his greatest triumph, a semifinal finish at the 2022 Open that included an upset of the four-time champion Rafael Nadal.The Open represented Tiafoe’s coming-out party. Ranked No. 26 entering the tournament last year, he began this year’s Open in the top 10, largely on the strength of winning two ATP titles, in Houston and Stuttgart, Germany, this season. He also reached the semifinals at Indian Wells before losing to Daniil Medvedev.But Tiafoe, whose career began when his parents emigrated from Sierra Leone and his father became head of maintenance at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., struggled at the majors this year.He lost in the third round at the Australian and French Opens and at Wimbledon. At the U.S. Open, he was defeated in the quarterfinals by a fellow American, Ben Shelton.Tiafoe and Shelton were chosen by John McEnroe, the captain of Team World, to play in the Laver Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia.At last year’s cup, Tiafoe and Jack Sock beat Nadal and Roger Federer in the final match of Federer’s career. Tiafoe then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to clinch victory for Team World. It was the first time in the five-year history of the event that Team Europe failed to win.The following interview has been edited and condensed.What was it like to play Roger and Rafa in Roger’s last match?Me and Jack were joking, should we go hard, should we not, should we make it a good show? I’m glad we went out there and played hard.The result was so irrelevant. Tennis won that night.What did you say to Roger when you met at the net after the final point?“Thank you for the last 20-plus years. Thank you not only for your on-court play, but for who you are as an individual. What you’ve done will never die.”At last year’s Laver Cup, Tiafoe and Jack Sock beat Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the final match of Federer’s career.Kin Cheung/Associated PressThen, in the clinching match, you had to save four match points against Tsitsipas?Man, it felt like I was down 100 match points. It was crazy. I had never experienced something like that before. Incredible shotmaking with legends sitting on the bench. It was an unbelievable atmosphere.When you look back on this year, do you say it’s been a great year, or that you need to kick it up a notch?I think it’s been a great year outside of the Slams. But the Slams are the only thing I really care about, to be fair.You’ve spoken about Arthur Ashe and the privilege of being a man of color in this sport. But Arthur also spoke of the burden he felt. Do you feel the pressure of being in this position and having to motivate others?One hundred percent, because it’s not like basketball or football, which are predominantly sports of color. Not only that you’re one of a few, but you’re doing it at a super high level. There are expectations, but people are looking up to you and wanting to be like you. You’re in a position to change people’s lives. It’s definitely a burden, but at the same time it’s a blessing.You have mentioned that right before you play a match, the most important thing is that your mother tells you how much she loves you. How critical is your family to your success?Family is everything to me. I’d do anything for my family. I play this game at a high level for my family. That’s one of my biggest motivations every day. My family can’t even believe we’re in this position.Is there one life goal that defines you?Probably that when I’m done, both of my parents will be able to kick up their feet. I want to be in a position to help kids in Sierra Leone play the game of tennis. It’s not really about me. More

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      How Coco Gauff Embodies the Biggest Story in Sports

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      As our Sports of The Times columnist moves to a new assignment, he reflects on a recurring theme from his tenure: the rise of female athletes.What perfect timing.That thought flashed through my mind as I sat courtside at Arthur Ashe Stadium last week, watching Coco Gauff poleax the backhand passing shot that sealed the U.S. Open and her first Grand Slam title.My thoughts were as much about the in-sync way Gauff struck that last ball as how the moment had lined up for this column.Gauff — a sensation now at 19, much as Venus and Serena Williams were at the same age — stepped closer to her destiny. With a major championship in hand, she is ready to be a leader on the women’s tennis tour and one of the guardians of the new era of female empowerment in sports.Her beginning provided a perfect ending for me. The Open was the last event I will cover as the Sports of The Times columnist. I’m moving to our National desk, where I’ll write feature stories about America’s wonder, complexity, trouble and promise.How perfect that the U.S. Open helped lower the curtain, with a women’s sport providing the tournament’s apex moment: Gauff’s three-set win over Aryna Sabalenka overshadowed an anticlimactic men’s final in which Novak Djokovic took his 24th major title with a straight-sets win over Daniil Medvedev. For me, women have been the story, and not just at the U.S. Open.Doak Campbell Stadium at Florida State University in May 2020, during the height of the pandemic.Joshua King for The New York TimesI took on this column in the late summer of 2020. The worst days of the pandemic can seem a hazy memory now, stuck in the back of our collective consciousness, as painful moments often are. Much of the sports world was shuttered and scrambling to figure out ways to get back to competition amid the loss of so many lives. Who knew when the rampaging virus would be tamed?At the same time, the ever-present inheritance of racism roiled the nation after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — both at the hands of police — and the brutal killing of a jogger, Ahmaud Arbery, by white racists.Remember the athletes — famous professionals and little-known amateurs in the United States and globally — and how they spoke out and led.And remember that Donald Trump was president then, spewing barbs at them, particularly at Black athletes who raised their voices or protested by having the temerity to kneel, exercising their right of peaceful protest during the playing of the national anthem.I wrote about all this and much more, and I tried to do so in a way that showed I was not interested in the kind of shouting matches that pervade much of sports journalism. I aimed to write thoughtfully about how sports and athletes intersect with the social issues that stir and vex our culture. I sought to be a strong voice in this space, and to add to the mix a good pinch of storytelling and the occasional piece spiced with a little cheeky fun. More than anything, I sought to live out the most tried-and-true of journalistic credos: comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable — or, in my parlance, fight for the outsiders and the outliers, the unseen and the overlooked.Which brings me back to a subject I considered often here, one embodied by Gauff hitting that backhand passing shot and walking off with a Grand Slam title and a winner’s check for $3 million: the rise of women in sports.Think of all we have witnessed in this arena over the last three years.Think of the W.N.B.A., the league’s leading role in the protests of 2020, and its continued strength as an amalgamation of women who are not afraid to challenge the status quo.Think of the winning fight by the U.S. women’s national soccer team for equal pay, or how female soccer players across the globe and in the N.W.S.L. stood up against harassing, abusive coaches.A women’s volleyball match drew more than 92,000 people to Memorial Stadium at the University of Nebraska earlier this month.Terry Ratzlaff for The New York TimesDid you see that volleyball game at the University of Nebraska, with 92,000 fans in the stands? Or all those record-breaking, packed-to-the-gills stadiums at the Women’s World Cup, with 75,000 on hand for the recent final in Australia?Yep, it’s a new era.Consider March Madness 2023. This was a year when the men’s event sat in the shadow of the women’s side — with its upsets, tension and quality. With the charismatic Angel Reese leading L.S.U. over Iowa for the national title. With Reese, bold and Black, sparking a conversation on race by taunting her white opponent, Caitlin Clark, the sharpshooting player of the year.Yes, on the court, track, field or wherever they compete, women can be as challenging, ornery, competitive and controversial as men. That needs to be celebrated.Where will this end? With a few exceptions, tennis being one, it’s hard to imagine women’s sports getting the kind of attention they deserve any time soon.Who gets the most money, notice and hosannas in youth sports? By and large, boys.Who runs most teams and controls most media that broadcast and write about the games? By and large, men.Who runs the companies that provide the sponsorship money? Yeah, primarily men.Change is coming. But change will take more time. Maybe a few generations more.The decks remain stacked in favor of guys, but women continue their fight. When it comes to the games we play and love to watch, that’s the biggest story in sports right now.A drawing of Billie Jean King at the U.S. Open earlier this month. Karsten Moran for The New York TimesHow perfect that this year’s U.S. Open would frame that story once again. Flushing Meadows was a two-week gala celebration of the 50th anniversary of Billie Jean King’s successful push for equal prize money at the event — a landmark in sports that still stands out for its boldness.And how fitting that on this golden anniversary — with Serena Williams now retired, with Billie Jean front and center during tributes all tournament long — Gauff would win her first Grand Slam event and do it by flashing the kind of poise that marks her as an heir to the throne.Thank you, Coco and Serena. Thank you, Billie Jean, and all the other female and male athletes who have gone against the status quo, emerged victorious, and are still in the fight.And thank you for following along as I’ve tried to stand for the outsiders and make sense of it all. More

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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