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He hyped up the in-house DJ and introduced the players and ran through the tale of the tape. Then, just moments before Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev climbed out of their seats to kickstart this US Open final, the stadium MC made a final public service announcement. A final plea.
It was aimed at the crowd and the message was simple: don’t do anything that disrupts the action inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. A warning on the big screen hammered home his point: ‘Please refrain from the use of flash photography and other lighting.’
It has become a familiar pre-match ritual over the past few weeks and a fitting snapshot of a US Open when, too often, the tennis was tainted. By influencers using Arthur Ashe as a stage to film content. By the decision to schedule the biggest game of this tournament in the middle of the night. By the smell of marijuana and by the stench of spiraling ticket prices.
The USTA has spent $800million to upgrade this cradle of American tennis and this year’s US Open could have had a picture-perfect ending, catapulting Shelton toward superstardom.
Instead, a combination of Alexander Zverev and mind-boggling decisions leaves us with one nagging question: What might have been? Had Shelton ended America’s 23-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion. Had his quarterfinal blockbuster against Carlos Alcaraz not unfolded in the early hours of the morning. Had this final not coincided with the season’s first NFL Sunday. Had organizers got a grip on the circus and stopped pricing tennis fans out of Flushing Meadows.
Ben Shelton was beaten by Alexander Zverev in the final of the US Open on Sunday
Zverev apologized after dashing America's hopes of a first US Open men's winner since 2003
Aryna Sabalenka alleged that a spectator was smoking weed during her US Open match
Thankfully, this men’s final passed without too much nonsense. Certainly compared to last year - when Donald Trump’s arrival sparked long delays - and Saturday’s women’s final. More than once during Elena Rybakina’s win over Aryna Sabalenka, the umpire was forced to reprimand fans for staging photoshoots at a crucial juncture.
That wasn’t the issue for Shelton, who has all the ingredients to be a game-changing force for American tennis – the swagger, the explosive style and the superstar girlfriend, Trinity Rodman.
On Sunday, Shelton was undone by the infuriating brilliance of Zverev. It was death by a thousand bounces before every serve. And it felt comically apt that Zverev took several seconds to realize he had sealed victory. How often do we hear that people at the US Open are not paying attention to the tennis?
This final fell right in the middle of New York Fashion Week. Unfortunately, anyone hoping to make a statement on Sunday morning was left to rue the Gods. There were storm warnings across New York and that meant outfits were shrouded by umbrellas and the walk through Corona Park toward Arthur Ashe was a minefield of puddles and mud.
In the giant plaza of Flushing Meadows, US Open staff pulled on ponchos before sweeping rain water into drains. But the downpour didn’t stop fans from lining up outside the parade of pop-ups near Arthur Ashe.
Among the most popular? Tiffany Jewelry - which offered a photo opportunity with replica US Open trophies - and Emirates. The airline was running a competition, and the prize was a free vacation to – perhaps predictably – Dubai. It is important to know your audience.
Thankfully, the sun broke through the clouds by the time the players left the locker room and, as this US Open final crept closer, small scrums developed near the railings inside Arthur Ashe. Fans were jostling for the best backdrop to their photos. Unfortunately, organizers decided that was the perfect time to pump smoke into the stadium.
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Soon a thin haze had developed and, by the time Shelton and Zverev emerged, it was impossible to see the court from large chunks of the upper bowls. That didn’t stop some fans from booing Zverev.
A few hours later, he apologized to the crowd and to tournament organizers for crashing America’s party. ‘I'm sorry it's the wrong winner,’ he said. But most people had left by then. Arthur Ashe was gutted within minutes of the German’s victory. New York’s end-of-summer party ended in disappointment.
Both Zverev and Shelton used their post-match interviews to praise tournament organizers. Together, they had just pocketed a combined $8.3million so perhaps a few late nights can be forgiven.
This is the world’s most lucrative tennis tournament and, over recent years, profits have skyrocketed. This year, the US Open expected to sell a record 800,000 Honey Deuces; next year, the $800m will be completed.
That will leave Arthur Ashe with 2,000 more seats at courtside, as well as several luxury lounges and ‘nine elite hospitality clubs.’ But there is a greater cost. These changes will come at the expense of cheaper seats.
The USTA is a non-profit and tennis fans should not be shut out by eye-watering prices, 3.30am finishes and flash photography.
