NEW YORK — The 2021 US Open is officially in the books, and it ended with titles for Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev. Just as we all predicted, right?
Needless to say, it was one of the most unexpected and surprising tournaments in memory and provided unforgettable introductions to the next generation of tennis superstars.
Here’s what we learned from the year’s final major — and what we can expect from the rest of the 2021 season and beyond.
New era is upon us
Serena Williams wasn’t at the tournament this year. Nor was her sister Venus, or Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal. But while the US Open was lacking in star power to start, by the end there were plenty of new faces who seem poised to ascend the tennis hierarchy in the next few years.
Sure, Novak Djokovic and his quest for the calendar slam and his 21st major title received nonstop headlines, but it was the rise of a group of talented teenagers that captivated the world.
In addition to eventual surprise champion Raducanu, who was ranked No. 150 in the world and had to come through qualifying to make just the second Grand Slam main draw of her career, 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez was the ultimate giant slayer throughout the fortnight, defeating Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka en route to the final. And 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz recorded one of the biggest upsets of the tournament with a five-set victory over No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Coco Gauff, 17, and Caty McNally, 19, the longtime fan favorite duo known collectively as #McCoco, reached their first major final. They eventually lost to Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai in three sets but furthered cemented their status as one of the top teams to watch — and their friendship and confidence was still on full display despite the disappointing outcome.
“There’s no other person or player that I would rather do this with,” Gauff said. “I know that we’ll be Grand Slam champions eventually.”
Not to mention, the ever-so-slightly-older members of Gen Z represented well for the group, too: Felix Auger-Aliassime, 21, reached his first major semifinals; Jenson Brooksby, 20, gave Djokovic one of his toughest battles of the tournament in the fourth round; and 20-year-old Iga Swiatek became the only woman to reach the Round of 16 at every major this year.
There has been a lot of talk about the future of the sport as its biggest superstars all near the end of their illustrious careers, but it seems safe to say, tennis looks to be in very good hands — and this just might be the event which we will eventually look back on as the start of its next chapter.
Medvedev is the real deal
Not quite Gen Z but still very much a part of tennis’ future, 25-year-old Medvedev became the first player outside of the “Big Four” to crack the top two in the ATP rankings since 2005 earlier this year and had reached two major finals prior to the 2021 US Open, but his ability to win on the sport’s biggest stage, especially with Djokovic in the mix, was firmly in doubt.
Not anymore.
On Sunday, Medvedev and his can’t-miss serve overpowered Djokovic as he made history of his own. Many have wondered who would eventually replace the Djokovic, Federer and Nadal atop the game, and now it seems Medvedev is the leading contender.
While the crowd was undoubtedly in support of Djokovic during the final, Medvedev won over new fans with his FIFA-themed “dead fish” celebration and his hilarious postmatch interview in which he said the victory would have to serve as his anniversary present to his wife because he hadn’t found time to buy anything else.
“The only thing I thought, ‘If I lose, I have no time to find a present.’ So I have to win this match.”
Djokovic was one match away from joining Rod Laver as the only men in the Open era to achieve the calendar slam and winning his fourth major of the 2021 season. But Medvedev played the ultimate spoiler and dashed Djokovic’s dreams for history with a dominant, straight-set victory in front of a stunned Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. As a victory would have also given Djokovic his record-setting 21st major title, breaking a tie with Federer and Nadal, there was much discussion about the win cementing Djokovic’s status as the GOAT.
He didn’t get the win or the milestone in New York, but even Medvedev said he was already convinced of Djokovic’s status.
“I never said this to anybody before but I’ll say it now: For me, you are the greatest tennis player in history,” Medvedev said to Djokovic during the on-court trophy presentation.
Of course, Djokovic remains the No. 1-ranked player in the world and will have several more opportunities for his latest Grand Slam trophy during the 2022 season — starting with the Australian Open, where he is a nine-time champion and will likely remain the favorite to defend his title.
Golden Slams
Much was made about Djokovic’s failed attempt for the Golden Slam when he was unable to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but two athletes did, in fact, record the elusive feat this year.
Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott both became the first wheelchair athletes in history to win all four majors and Paralympic gold this year. Making it even more impressive, if that’s even possible, there were mere days separating the end of the competition in Tokyo and the beginning of the tournament in New York. Clearly jet lag is nothing for these two.
Incredible.
Two historic Golden Slams were captured today in New York by Diede de Groot & Dylan Alcott. pic.twitter.com/omaoGTyWgw
Alcott, who recorded his 15th career major singles title at the US Open, had an absolutely iconic celebration in front of the crowd on Ashe at the men’s final shortly after his win.
Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett also pulled off the Golden Slam in men’s wheelchair doubles.
Osaka’s tough exit
Osaka, the defending champion, lost to Fernandez in the third round 7-5, 6-7 (2), 4-6 in front of a shocked crowd on Ashe and she was unable to hide her emotions on court or after the match. She threw her racket in frustration in the second set and later slammed it on the ground. When Fernandez forced a deciding set, Osaka left the court for a bathroom break with her head covered in a towel.
She was tearful after the match and admitted tennis was no longer bringing her joy, saying she was considering taking an indefinite break from competition.
“I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match,” Osaka said. “I think I’m going to take a break from playing for awhile.”
Her news conference abruptly ended. Osaka, 23, has not further clarified her plans for the rest of the season, but remains on the entry list for next month’s pandemic-delayed BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
It has been a challenging few months for Osaka, who opened the 2021 season with a title at the Australian Open. She withdrew from the French Open after her first-round win due to controversy surrounding her decision to opt out of her media obligations and then skipped Wimbledon. She was given the honor of lighting the torch during the opening ceremonies at the Olympics in her native Japan but lost in the third round of the competition.
There has been an outpouring of support for Osaka from the tennis community and beyond, and her peers and fans have encouraged her to take her time to get healthy and happy before she makes her return.
Fan support
When the US Open announced it would be allowing 100% capacity for fans, there was some skepticism as to the feasibility of having such massive numbers during the ongoing pandemic, despite a late vaccination requirement being added — for fans that is; players still have no such thing — just days before the event got underway and there being an indoor mask mandate.
However, not only were there no reports of an outbreak linked to the tournament, but the fans did more than their part in impacting matches and cheering on their favorites to victory.
Many players — perhaps most notably Fernandez, Djokovic, Alcaraz and Shelby Rogers during her upset win over top-ranked Ash Barty — were amazed by the crowd and credited them at varying points for their help in securing victories.
“The crowd is next-level this year,” Rogers said on court after her win over Barty. “You’ve picked who you want to win, so thank you for picking me tonight.”
A year after there were no fans in the stands at the tournament, the US Open became the first major to allow a capacity crowd. According to the USTA, there were 631,134 fans in attendance throughout the tournament. While not quite the record-setting numbers of 2019 (737,919), it was still a pretty impressive turnout amid the circumstances.
While it’s impossible to predict what will happen going forward, it was a welcome dose of normalcy after so many months of uncertainty and uncharacteristic silence.
After the game, Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule told reporters that Raiola wanted to return to the game, but the sophomore couldn’t run so Rhule decided it was unsafe to send him back in.
Raiola completed 10 of 15 passes against the Trojans for 91 yards and a touchdown before the injury. He was replaced by true freshman TJ Lateef, who went 5-of-7 for 7 yards and rushed for 18 yards on six carries.
Raiola had completed 72.4% of his passes for 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns through nine games this season. He has been intercepted six times.
The Huskers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) lost their 29th consecutive game to an AP Top 25 opponent, a streak that dates to 2016. They will go on the road to face UCLA next Saturday.
ESPN’s Max Olson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Big 12 had two teams — BYU and Texas Tech — in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in two years Sunday, while Notre Dame was back in the top 10 after a two-month absence.
Oklahoma and Texas made the biggest upward moves in this week’s poll, rising seven spots to No. 11 and No. 13, respectively.
The top seven teams were unchanged in the final poll before the College Football Playoff committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night to kick off the run-up to the CFP bracket release Dec. 7.
No. 1 Ohio State, which pulled away in the second half to beat Penn State on Saturday, is at the top of the AP poll for a 10th straight week. Indiana, which scored 50-plus points against a Big Ten opponent for the third time while hammering Maryland, is No. 2 for a third straight week.
Losses by Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami shuffled the Nos. 8, 9 and 10 spots, now held by BYU, Texas Tech and Notre Dame.
Miami’s losses to two then-unranked opponents in three weeks have caused a 16-spot plummet, from No. 2 to No. 18.
The distribution of first-place votes was the same as last week. Ohio State received 54, Indiana got 11 and Texas A&M one.
The Buckeyes are in the Top 25 for a 90th straight poll, third most on the active list. Notre Dame is in a 50th straight time, fifth on the active list. Texas, meanwhile, made its 800th appearance in the poll, seventh all time.
No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech gave the Big 12 two teams in the top 10 for the first time since Oct. 29, 2023. The Cougars, who were idle, have their highest ranking of the season. The Red Raiders won at Kansas State and reentered the top 10 for the first time in three weeks. The two teams face each other this weekend.
BYU has risen in the poll six straight weeks since making its debut Sept. 21. The Cougars have gone from No. 25 to No. 8 over that span.
Notre Dame, a winner of six straight, was pushed by one-win Boston College on the road before winning 25-10, helping the Irish move up two spots to No. 10. The Irish were last in the top 10 in Week 3, at No. 8, before a home loss to Texas A&M dropped them to 0-2 and No. 24.
No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Texas received seven-spot promotions for their wins Saturday. The Sooners beat Tennessee on the road, and the Longhorns knocked off Vanderbilt at home. Tennessee took the biggest fall, dropping nine spots to No. 23.
No. 24 Washington, which was idle, is in the poll for the first time since it finished the 2023 season at No. 2 following its loss to Michigan in the national championship game. The Huskies’ only losses are to No. 1 Ohio State at home and to a then-unranked Michigan on the road.
Houston, whose No. 22 ranking last week was its first Top 25 appearance since 2022, dropped out after losing at home to West Virginia.
No. 8 BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 9 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1): The game of the year in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have lost 16 straight against top-10 teams.
No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) at No. 19 Missouri (6-2, 2-2): The Aggies embarrassed Missouri in College Station last year, jumping out to a 34-0 lead and winning 41-7.
Football coach Hugh Freeze, whose 15-19 record in his two-plus seasons at Auburn was capped by a listless home loss to Kentucky on Saturday, has been fired, athletic director John Cohen announced Sunday.
Freeze, 56, will be owed $15.8 million in buyout money, with no mitigation, after he signed a six-year, $49 million deal to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022. He is the eighth Power Four coach to be fired this season.
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn football program,” Cohen said in a statement. “Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately.”
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has been named interim head coach of the Tigers.
Much of the SEC offseason spotlight focused on Freeze, only heightening the need for a strong start for the Tigers. In his time at Auburn, he had a 6-16 mark in the SEC, and his tenure was marked by excruciating home losses to New Mexico State, Cal, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Oklahoma.
The program’s offensive issues continued under Freeze, with the Tigers scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 SEC games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
Freeze, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year, improved the roster heading into this season, landing consecutive top-10 recruiting classes. He also added key transfers such as quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech). Combined with a manageable 2025 schedule and a contract that ran through the 2028 season, it seemed the pieces were in place for Freeze to author a breakthrough.
“I think it’s as settled as we’ve been as a program, the continuity of our staff, the pieces of our staff that we’ve added and what we’ve been able to do in building our roster in high school recruiting and in the portal,” Freeze told ESPN in April. “Now, we’ve got to go compete and win some more games, but I don’t feel any sense of panic. We’re on our way to getting where we want to be and where we should be.”
The Tigers never got there. A 3-0 start in the nonconference portion of the schedule, including an impressive 38-24 win over Baylor on opening night, quickly fizzled in league play. The Tigers were competitive in their first four SEC games but were on the losing side of all four, including a deflating 23-17 loss at home to Missouri on Oct. 18, a game Auburn led 17-10 in the fourth quarter in front of a prime-time audience.
A comeback win on the road at Arkansas soon followed, but the Tigers were unable to maintain momentum. Saturday night’s 10-3 loss at home to Kentucky, which came complete with “Fire Hugh!” chants in the second half, ultimately proved to be the end as the Tigers fell to 4-5 (1-5 SEC).
“At the end of the day, I’m frustrated too,” Freeze said after the loss. “We all know that when we sign up for this. We accept it. I love what we’re doing here, but we haven’t gotten the results.”
Freeze ends his run without recording a winning season at Auburn in three tries. In fact, the Tigers last had a winning season in 2020, when they were 6-5. And they have won more than eight games only twice (2017, 2019) since playing for the national championship in 2013.
Freeze also went 1-12 against ranked teams.
“I wish I could ask for patience, but that’s not something that people want to give in this day and time, and I understand that,” Freeze said Saturday night. “I just think we’re so dang close.”
Auburn will be looking for its fourth football coach in seven seasons. The Tigers fired Gus Malzahn in 2020, Harsin in 2022 and now Freeze. Combined, the school will end up paying $52.5 million in buyout fees.
