US Open fun August 28: Zverev, Williams, Nadal
How fast have the first three days of the US Open gone by. Time has flown between great successes—like Cori Gauff’s step forward and Thomas Fabbiano’s renewed Top 10 player upset—and sad losses—former champions Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens have bowed out in the first round. As usual, however, not all the action unfolded during matches: the backstage stole some of it.
Wednesday wasn’t just a long day at Flushing Meadows, it was also a rainy one. While the main stadiums kept their regular schedule standing, other courts were soaked and matches were delayed. What happens when the weather puts the play on hold? Right, the players’ lounge gets crowded. Alexander Zverev shared a short video of the full, buzzing room on his Instagram stories, captioning it, “This is what rainy days in the US Open players lounge look like. Good luck finding a place to sit.”
Maybe it’s because the lounge was too crowded that Venus Williams chose to have her relax beverage on court. That’s right: the seven-time Grand Slam champion had her coffee delivered during her lit battle with Elina Svitolina.
Coffee works. Venus has not lost a game since this delivery. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/uuVw60RQUv
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) August 28, 2019
While the American legend was ousted 6-4 6-4 by the Ukrainian, her attitude stole some genuine smiles from fans.
After her victory, and as reported by George Bellshaw, Svitolina told the crowd, "It was a really incredible match. Thank you guys, even though you didn't support me! It was one of the best atmosphere I actually played. Venus, it's unbelievable what she does. On and off the court, a big inspiration for everyone." It was hard not to smile at this too.
Other grins were caused by the perspective of Andy Murray navigating on Rafael Nadal’s boat. While the Scot isn’t present in New York to chase another US Open title, he hasn’t been lying around at home either. His participation to the Rafael Nadal Open this week has caused quite a frenzy, and the most pleased by the whole situation might be Rafa himself. After inflicting a 6-3 6-2 6-2 to John Millman, the Spaniard revealed during his on-court interview that he has given Murray one of his best friends’ phone number and “offered him the boat if he wants to go out.” For the Scot in Mallorca—nice ring to it, I would by a ticket right away for the movie—his colleague’s offer could come in handy.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2ZjSR5c
No comments