Quiet on the set, please.
Err, I mean court.
Wait, why? Isn’t this supposed to be a sporting event?
Tennis players’ complaints never end, and they seemingly never run out of new things to gripe about. It’s annually brought to the forefront at the U.S. Open, in front of a notoriously rowdy crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.
Throughout this year’s tournament, which will begin the quarterfinals on Tuesday, hardly a day has passed without grumblings about the crowd or atmosphere.
There was Laura Siegemund, who actually shed tears and claimed she’s considering never returning to the U.S. Open because the crowd chided her blatant time-wasting tactics. A German native, Siegemund was going up against Coco Gauff, one of, if not the, biggest rising American star in the sport in the biggest American tennis tournament there is. What did Siegemund expect?
There was Maria Sakkari, who lamented a smell of marijuana after her first-round upset loss.
There was Daniil Medvedev, whose complaints might have been the most egregious — berating fans for… standing up and walking to their seats during his serve. It didn’t end there, as he threw multiple tirades toward other fans for talking and a cameraman for simply trying to record him.
There was Holger Rune, who whined about his court placement just days before being stunned in the first round.
The list goes on. Why is this normal?
In pretty much any other sport, crowd noise and atmosphere are beloved — and integral — parts of the game.
Imagine an NFL quarterback complaining it was too loud while trying to make a game-deciding pass. An MLB shortstop whining that someone in the crowd was standing while trying to make a throw to first base. A basketball player grumbling that somebody in the crowd walked while taking a shot. A college athlete claiming they might never return to a venue because opposing fans were booing. A sprinter saying their running was compromised because somebody in the crowd spoke.
They’d be laughed out of town.
Fan atmospheres are one of the greatest and most memorable elements of sports.
Electric atmospheres are much of the appeal for many college sports fans.
Legends have been told about the noise the Madison Square Garden crowd makes during Knicks playoff games.
Soccer fans’ chants and boisterousness in the stands is as much a part of the game as the action on the field.
NFL home field advantage is critical, as fans often make it as difficult as possible for opposing players to hear and communicate with each other.
It all raises the question: Do these ridiculous etiquette traditions and rules actually help tennis?
Tennis is not alone in this; golf has similar etiquette requirements. And unsurprisingly, both sports share similar trends that could turn problematic.
Tennis and golf have two of the oldest average age of fans and viewers, according to a study by Sports Business Journal.
At the moment, tennis is at a critical juncture to attract young fans.
While Novak Djokovic is still going strong, most of the biggest stars that defined an era — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki — are either retired or close to retiring.
A plethora of young, rising stars have emerged in their place, presenting the sport a perfect opportunity to appeal to a younger demographic. Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Iga Swiatek and many more have become popular attractions, particularly with younger fans.
And many of those young stars, like Gauff, Alcaraz and Tiafoe, have broken the mold, embracing and feeding off the crowd throughout the tournament.
Alcaraz has raved about feeling “the energy” from the fans, and sang to a roaring crowd after his first-round win.
Gauff regularly pumps up the crowd, demonstratively urging them to be loud.
Tiafoe pointedly told Forbes: “I like it when people are happy. I think fans should be able to come and go, move and talk during matches. Imagine going to a basketball game and not saying anything. Outside of that, we’re starting to change things to attract younger fans to tennis. There’s nothing like Arthur Ashe at night, everyone is drunk and the atmosphere is crazy. I’m with it and I want the crowd to be with it.”
If tennis wants to attract younger fans, it should listen to its younger stars.
They seem to get it.
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The other side of Mr. Rodgers’ neighborhood
Welcome to the full Aaron Rodgers experience.
Rodgers and the Jets have enjoyed a prolonged honeymoon pretty much since the moment he was traded, with coaches, teammates and fans alike gushing about the team’s new star quarterback. His early Jets days appeared seamless and near-perfect, and Rodgers seemed to fit right in with the team and in New York.
But, as the NFL world has come to learn throughout his 18-year career, there’s more to Rodgers than might appear on “Hard Knocks.” Within the last week, Rodgers has begun to make headlines off the field.
He lambasted Jihad Ward and the Giants of “making sh–t up” when accused of laughing with teammate Randall Cobb about an illegal hit, sparking new juice into the rivalry between the two sides. The hit on Bobby McCain — which left him with a concussion — notably landed Cobb a fine for an illegal hit.
Rodgers, who long trolled division rivals, particularly the Bears, with the Packers has now wasted little time in fueling animosity with a new rival.
Attending the U.S. Open with teammates Sunday night, Rodgers posted a picture on his Instagram story of Novak Djokovic with “#novaxdjokovic” and “Bucket list being able to witness the greatness of [Djokovic] in person” as captions. Rodgers also crossed out a Moderna advertisement on the court.
Djokovic sat out last year’s U.S. Open because his unvaccinated status prevented him from entering the country at the time. Rodgers infamously misled the media when asked about his vaccination status in 2021, claiming he was “immunized” though he was not vaccinated.
For seemingly the first time as a Jet, Rodgers is bringing attention to himself and the team from off-the-field actions or comments.
It’s not positive or negative yet — but Rodgers’ relationship with both teammates and fans was at times strained due to his eclectic personality.
And that was in Green Bay, one of the smallest markets in the country. Now, in the largest, how will New Yorkers react?
Football season is in full swing overseas
After the first month of the season, European soccer hit its first international break of the season on Monday.
Let’s take a look at some early-season takeaways:
Manchester City is still Manchester City
Last year’s treble winners (winning the Premier League, Champions League and F.A. Cup), City has perhaps looked even more formidable this season. Looking to become the first Premier League team to ever win the league four years in a row, City is the only team in the league to win all four of its games, sitting atop the table with 12 points and a league-best +9 goal differential.
Hey Jude
Real Madrid acquired one of the most lauded prospects in the world, 20-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, this summer for a whopping $111 million. Through the first month, he’s been worth every cent. Bellingham has five goals and an assist in his first four games. And after finishing as runners-up to Barcelona last year, Real Madrid is off to a perfect 4-0-0 start, sitting atop Spain’s La Liga.
Harry Kane’s seamless transition
After spending 11 seasons with Tottenham as a team legend, Kane notably left this summer in order to win long-desired trophies, which he infamously has none of in his career. He went to German power Bayern Munich in a roughly $107 million deal, and already has three goals and an assist in his first three games. Bayern Munich are tied atop the Bundesliga with a perfect 3-0-0 record and a +9 goal differential.
Manchester United in disarray
No team likely needed this break more than Manchester United. In their second year under manager Erik Ten Hag, United spent lavishly this summer in hopes of elevating from last year’s third-place finish into more of a title contender this season. But they won two and lost two of their first four games, and off-the-field issues are beginning to cloud over the team.
Jadon Sancho, the team’s heavily-anticipated acquisition in his third season with the club, is now publicly trading barbs with Ten Hag over a dispute about the former’s playing time. Antony, whom the team acquired last summer as its second-most expensive transfer, has been accused of domestic violence, though he denied the allegations on Monday.
And then there are a growing number of injuries, notably to new signing Mason Mount, Rafael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw.
