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43 articles of outrage, absurdity, and very bad calls. None of it is your fault. Probably.
No Real Holes In His Game Today
Five days after the US Open final, Ben Shelton lost 6-4, 6-4 in ninety-two minutes to Jiří Lehečka in Prague and said every gracious thing a man can say. The debutant he flew over with, Learner Tien, won. The tie is 1-1. The argument that he should have stayed home is 1-0.
Three Americans, Two Team Events, One Elbow
Ben Shelton pulled out of the Laver Cup to play Davis Cup in Prague five days after the US Open final. Taylor Fritz pulled out of Davis Cup and is playing the Laver Cup. Tommy Paul pulled out of both. American men's tennis has finally solved the problem of having too many good players by scheduling them into the ground.
Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars
A ball into the crowd, a ball past a cameraman, a racquet smashed mid-match, a racquet destroyed after it, and two words into a lens. The USTA's invoice for the whole afternoon: $7,500, or about a quarter of one percent of the runner-up cheque it was deducted from.
Somewhere Between Eight And Eighteen
Alexander Zverev bounces the ball before he serves. A losing semifinalist, a losing finalist, a former champion, and a five-time champion with self-diagnosed OCD have now weighed in. Three of them want a rule. The fourth wants everyone to relax. The ball, meanwhile, is still bouncing.
The Man Who Didn't Play The US Open Is Still No. 1
Alexander Zverev won the US Open on Sunday. On Monday the ATP rankings were published and Jannik Sinner — who withdrew before the tournament with a knee injury and has not hit a ball in competition since July — is still, by 1,810 points, the best tennis player in the world. Also: Djokovic is out of the top ten for the first time in eight years, and nobody from the Big Three is in it for the first time since 2002.
I Shouldn't Have To Sit At The Line
Ben Shelton lost the US Open final, congratulated the winner, called him maybe the best player in the world this year — and then explained, calmly and in detail, why the rule that made him stand still for nearly twenty bounces is stupid. He is not wrong.
Twelve Thousand Bounces
Ben Shelton complained twice to the chair about how long Alexander Zverev takes between serves. The chair did nothing. Zverev took his time, took the title, took the head-to-head to 6-0, and did not immediately realize he'd won. The drought is 24.
Maybe Next Year
Aryna Sabalenka lost the US Open final, the No. 1 ranking, and the three-peat in the same two hours and twenty-one minutes, then was handed a microphone. Elena Rybakina, who won all three, said she was falling in love with New York — the city that walked out on her two nights earlier.
The Camera Was, Once Again, Too Close
Aryna Sabalenka's US Open ended the way it began: with a microphone she didn't want, a camera she didn't want, and a two-word instruction to the person holding it. A fortnight in review, as told to the equipment.
The Man New York Is About To Scream At Has Never Lost To The Man New York Is Screaming For
Alexander Zverev is 5-0 against Ben Shelton, has played five Grand Slam finals, and once led the US Open final two sets to love before losing it. On Sunday he gets 23,000 people, a 23-year drought, and a left-handed serve. Somebody's record is about to break.
Aryna Sabalenka Will Lose The No. 1 Ranking On Monday Whether Or Not She Wins The US Open On Saturday
Ninety-nine consecutive weeks at the top. A shot at the first three-peat in Flushing Meadows since Serena. And a ranking computer that has already decided the woman across the net is better, no matter what happens on the court.
The Umpire Did Nothing, Then Did The Other Thing
Frances Tiafoe raised a hand to say he wasn't ready. The chair let Ben Shelton serve anyway. Tiafoe complained. The chair ordered a replay. Shelton, who had done nothing wrong, was the angriest man on the court — and then he won the match, the semifinal, and a place in history.
Twenty Thousand People Screaming While Gauff Was Trying To Hit That Last Overhead
Elena Rybakina beat Coco Gauff in a US Open semifinal, then beat the stadium, then watched most of it leave before her interview. Earlier that day Aryna Sabalenka had thanked the same crowd for being respectful. It was a long day for the crowd.
America Has Guaranteed Itself A US Open Finalist Using An Advanced Technique Called 'Two Guys'
Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe meet Friday night in the first all-American men's semifinal at Flushing Meadows in a generation. One of them will be the first Black American man in a US Open final since Arthur Ashe. Both of them have appeared in this publication for less flattering reasons.
Seven Points, Twenty-Six Minutes, Two Match Points, Zero Semifinals
Mirra Andreeva won the first seven points of her quarterfinal against Coco Gauff, took the first set in twenty-six minutes, and held two match points in the second-set tiebreak. The US Open semifinal on Thursday night will feature Coco Gauff.
3:33 AM
Two days after we wrote about the US Open's 2 AM finishes, the tournament broke its all-time record by forty-three minutes — in a quarterfinal, with the defending champion, in a fifth-set tiebreak, in front of whoever was still awake.
They Do This Because They Know They Cannot Beat Us
Jelena Ostapenko stopped a doubles match to demand a Chinese translator so the chair umpire could confirm the opposing coach was being sarcastic. She won 6-4, 6-4, roared at his box, and then watched her partner and their opponent skip a handshake they have been skipping for a decade.
Kick Them Out
Two men spent the fourth set of a late-night third-rounder on Louis Armstrong heckling Jakub Menšík. He stopped play. The umpire did nothing. Then several thousand New Yorkers did the umpire's job for him, in unison, at volume.
Six Night Sessions. Three Finishes After 2 AM. One Started After Midnight.
The US Open's evening session begins at 7 PM because, the tournament says, New Yorkers can't get there any earlier. It ends whenever it ends. This week that has mostly meant Tuesday.
Madison Keys Led 5-0 In The Third Set. Then She Lost Seven Games In A Row.
Two service games for the match. One match point. Zero of the last seven games. A racquet, briefly airborne. A qualifier ranked 121st is in the fourth round of the US Open and nobody, including her, can quite explain it.
A Running Tracker Of The 2026 US Open Influencer Situation, Which Is Somehow Not Yet Over
The USTA created a formal Content Creator Media Credential program in 2025. In 2026 they doubled the size of it. And then a chair umpire had to publicly ask a suite full of adults to please sit down.
The Grounds Pass Is $65. The Grounds Pass, On Ticketmaster, Is $363.
Bill Ackman posted a mostly-reasonable question about it. The USTA has not, so far, answered.
Multiple Grand Slam Contenders Cannot Focus Because Corona Park Smells Like Weed
Aryna Sabalenka stopped a match to point it out. Katie Boulter is trying to focus. Someone, somewhere in Queens, is smoking on a bench, and it is affecting the world rankings.
A Player Should Be Consistent, You Know?
Denis Shapovalov stopped a US Open third-round match to inform the chair umpire that Ben Shelton's grunts were not all the same grunt. Arthur Ashe Stadium had thoughts.
Think Before You Say Stuff
A reporter asked the world No. 1 how her mood was now that the tournament had started, given that 'last week it's lots of parties and fun.' The next ninety seconds are a masterclass in how not to walk that back.
The Person Is Fine
Belinda Bencic hit a ball into the stands without looking and it hit a spectator. Yulia Putintseva asked the chair umpire why that wasn't a default, and the answer was three words that will be argued about for years.
The Shoelaces Didn't Break Today
Rafael Jódar lost 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open. The first question at his press conference was about his shoelaces. He did not know what the question was. Neither, on reflection, did anyone else.
Due To The Birds, We Will Replay The Point
Daniil Medvedev hit a winner. The chair umpire, having noticed after forty-five seconds of continuous rally that two sparrows had landed on the net, ordered the point be played again.
You Are Here To Watch!
The electronic line system called Anna Kalinskaya's forehand out. It was in. The replay screen then showed a completely different point. The umpire said it was too close to overrule. The USTA later agreed with everyone except the umpire.
Guys, Please, In The Suite Behind Me
The chair umpire at a US Open first-round match had to stop play to ask a group of influencers, using ring lights, staging a photoshoot in a corporate suite, to please take their seats.
Loís Boisson Smashes Two Racquets While Emma Navarro Waves At The Crowd Six Feet Away
The definitive shot of the 2026 US Open first round is a single frame containing two women — one waving at a stadium, the other splintering a graphite composite frame against the court behind her.
Djokovic Loses In The First Round Of The US Open For The First Time Ever, To A Man Named Mariano Navone
The 78-match first-round win streak. The 20 years since it last happened. The four hours and 36 minutes it took to end. A full accounting of Novak Djokovic's Monday.
Don't Act Like You're Tough, Bro
Frances Tiafoe came back from two sets down against Jaime Faria, then explained at the net that his opponent was not, in fact, Ryan Garcia.
Djokovic Goes Up Two Sets, Loses To A Teenager, Yells At Cameraman
Novak Djokovic led 2-0 in sets against a 19-year-old, lost in five, got booed for hours, and somewhere in the middle of all that found time to scream at a man holding a camera.
The Timeout Did Not Help
Jannik Sinner was one game from winning his second-round match when he requested a cramp timeout that had commentators calling 'absolute baloney' — then lost 18 of the next 20 games.
Taylor Fritz Flew to Paris for This
Nishesh Basavareddy, ranked 154th in the world, just walked into Roland Garros as a wildcard and beat the No. 7 seed in four sets. Fritz had a knee injury and not much else going for him.
French Open Refuses To Let Man Use Bathroom, Man Threatens To Handle It Himself
Arthur Géa, a French wildcard playing in 88-degree heat, begged the chair umpire for a bathroom break mid-match. The umpire said no. Géa issued a counter-proposal.
'Look at Me in the Eyes': Pierre-Hugues Herbert Would Like an Apology, Please
Four hours into a five-set midnight marathon, Herbert demanded the chair umpire make eye contact and say sorry. Roland Garros's refusal to adopt electronic line-calling provided the setup. Herbert provided the theatre.
The Best Protest in Sports History Lasted Exactly 15 Minutes
Sinner, Sabalenka, Gauff, and Świątek walked out of Roland Garros press conferences after precisely 15 minutes. It was symbolic. It was coordinated. It somehow worked.
French Open Director Says 'We're Not Going to Move' and Then Immediately Moves
Amélie Mauresmo told players Roland Garros would not budge on prize money. Twenty-four hours later, they were in a room agreeing to talks. A timeline.
29-Year-Old Tennis Pro Invites Teenager to Settle It in the Parking Lot
Pedro Martinez beat Rei Sakamoto 6-2, 7-5 in French Open qualifying — then, apparently deciding that wasn't enough, invited the 19-year-old to continue the conversation outside.
Man Ranked 257th in the World Loses to Man Ranked 938th, Blames Chair
Tristan Boyer was disqualified from an Italian Challenger after attacking the umpire's chair and screaming profanities — handing the match to an opponent ranked 681 spots below him.
Daniil Medvedev Lost 6-0, 6-0 and Has Absolutely No Idea What Happened
The world number 10 was double-bageled in 49 minutes by a wildcard ranked 90th at Monte Carlo, smashed his racket seven times, and emerged from the experience with no new information.