Andre Agassi says it is “remarkable” how Djokovic has remained at the top of men’s tennis
Andre Agassi talks about Novak Djokovic’s success.
Sport in Seriousness
NEW YORK – In the end, there was not much left of Dan Evans. As far as he could remember, he had never played tennis for 5.5 hours in a single day – not even in two training sessions.
And yet here he was in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday, facing 23rd seed Karen Khachanov on Court 6 in the heat of the afternoon, and somehow managing to overcome the pain he felt all over his body.
The good news for Evans was that Khachanov seemed to be struggling just as much. And at 4-4 in the fifth set, Evans found some chances, hit winners and finally pulled away with a wild 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 victory that finished after 5 hours and 35 minutes.
It was the longest match ever played at the US Open, surpassing the 5 hours and 26 minutes long battle between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang in the 1992 semifinals.
“When you’re tired, you lose concentration quickly,” said the 34-year-old British veteran. “I think I felt a bit like that, but I just kept fighting. They weren’t massive, extravagant shots. It might have looked like that, but he wasn’t covering much of the court at that point. Big targets get you the winners, so to speak.”
Evans, who won the biggest title of his career just a year ago in Washington, DC, has slipped to No. 184 in the rankings as he battled injuries. He came into the US Open with a 4-17 record. His chances of competing regularly on the ATP Tour were dwindling.
A win can’t completely undo that, but coming back from a 4-0 deficit in the fifth set is a great result for a player who really needed it.
“I just tried to save myself little by little. Every point I was obviously having a lot of trouble with my legs,” Evans said. “As a kid, you’re just told to fight to the end. That’s kind of Rule 1 and I’ve done that pretty consistently throughout my career and today it kind of paid off. I’m incredibly proud that I got through the match. I think that’s the overriding feeling, more than anything else.”
Here are the other storylines from Day 2 of the US Open that you may have missed:
Biggest surprise
Maybe it wasn’t the most stunning result, but it was still surprising to see 11th seed Danielle Collins knocked out of the tournament by fellow American Caroline Dolehide. After comfortably winning the first set, Collins just couldn’t keep up her level and Dolehide played better on the important points to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. After the match, Collins declined a bouquet of flowers from tournament director Stacey Allaster, which was to be presented to her in honor of her impending retirement. Collins said she didn’t want the attention.
“I’m not very good at having moments where everything revolves around me,” she said.
Biggest no-show
This award can be shared between the two most famous Canadians, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who combined to win 21 games and zero sets on Tuesday.
Auger-Aliassime, the 19th seed and a semifinalist here three years ago, was uncompetitive against Jakub Mensik, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. And Shapovalov, a former top-10 player who is in a miserable slump and now ranked 105th, lost to Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
The good news for Canada is that 22-year-old Gabriel Diallo, a 6-foot-8 Montreal native who played college tennis in Kentucky, celebrated his first Grand Slam victory. After battling through the qualifying round, Diallo defeated Jaume Munar 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Best losing performance
Kudos to Li Tu, the No. 186 Australian qualifier, who gave No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz a bit of a scare. Although Alcaraz eventually pulled away comfortably, Tu managed to capitalize on Alcaraz’s sloppiness to win the second set and make the third set exciting for a while.
For a 28-year-old who has a career record of 1:7 at ATP level, a result of 6:2, 4:6, 6:3, 6:1 doesn’t look so bad.
The hardest farewell
Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 US Open champion, has made no announcement about a possible retirement, but realistically, at 39 years old and with a drop to 176th in the rankings, his loss on Tuesday to Mattia Bellucci is likely to be the last time he plays in the tournament.
Wawrinka received a wildcard this year and deserves it despite his recent struggles. He has had a legendary career, defeating Novak Djokovic in two Grand Slam finals and Rafael Nadal in another. But now, at 40, it might be hard to justify another wildcard.
Potential shooting star
Arthur Fils is a charismatic 20-year-old who is built like a tank, has massive weapons on his serve and forehand and plays with classic French flair. He is a perfect candidate to be a crowd favourite in New York and said he was shocked by the crowd support he received on Tuesday when he beat 18-year-old American novice Tien 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
“Honestly, I almost felt at home today,” he said. “I played against an American, but the crowd was good for me.”
Seeded 24th, Fils has progressed quickly, already winning two ATP titles. He’s still a bit erratic, but he has a big game that could take him into the top 10 or even higher if he continues to hone his skills. And he’ll always show up to tournaments with a great-looking haircut, as he often travels with one of his best friends, who happens to be a hairdresser. American Ben Shelton told tennis analyst Blair Henley that he also used the services of Fils’ friend ahead of the US Open.
“It’s nice to get a fresh cut before tournaments,” said Fils.
The most beautiful upcoming anniversary
Only a few days left until the fifth anniversary of a legendary tennis moment: Yes, we are talking about Daniil Medvedev, who mocked the crowd at the US Open after defeating Feliciano Lopez amid loud boos.
On August 30, 2019, Medvedev was an unknown quantity. Although he had just won Cincinnati, he was still largely unknown to casual tennis fans. But when Medvedev took the microphone in the post-match interview, everything changed. He practically begged for more boos and became a wrestling heel: “I want you all to know when you sleep tonight that I won because of you.”
Since then, the likeable Russian has had a love-hate – but above all love – relationship with the New York audience, which was shaped by his surprise entry into the final that year and his title in 2021.
On Tuesday, Medvedev was reminded that the fifth anniversary of this moment would soon be approaching and said it was a reason to celebrate.
“Honestly, there are some things in my career that I’m not happy with,” Medvedev said. “But this interview was probably my best ever. So if people want to celebrate, I’m there.”
