At this year's U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic didn’t play at all due to COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Serena Williams lost in the third round of three sets, but left the possibility of a return to the sport following her retirement announcement. New young players, including Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, American Frances Tiafoe, and Iga Swiatek of Poland, are getting a lot of attention for their performances. And the use of different tennis balls for men and women players is raising eyebrows.
Alcaraz v. Tiafoe: New stars are the face of changing tennis world
Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) defeated Jannik Sinner (Ita) in five sets, finishing at 2:50 a.m. Credit: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic.
Credits
Guest:
- Matthew Futterman - senior writer covering tennis for The Athletic - @MattFutterman